Internally Destined
by Louddragon
Summary: A story about Starfire's impending emotions after a brutal breakup with the love of her life. It's been years but it still burns her soul each time something reminds her of it. Botched smiles lead them to believe in the illusion of love, will love be worth the peril of the innocent? Can their sanity remain intact? Will they dare cross enemy lines? Tons of RobStar, BBRae, and Flinx!
1. Reveries and Heartpangs

This is a story about Starfire's impending emotions after a brutal breakup with the love of her life. It's been years but it still burns her soul each time something reminds her of it. Fear of allowing herself to love him again burns on her conscience. Will they end up together? Or will their love perish in the unforgivable game of life? Is love simply rigmarole, or is it an illusion? R&R.

A/N: I've never done a RobxStar story! This story will mainly be RobxStar but as most of you know I'm a diehard BBxRae fan, it's a nice little mix. So the Titans are 21+ around that age, I've never done a POV story so go easy on the reviews; lots of love from Louddragon XOXO.

"Most people think that shadows follow, precede or surround beings or objects. The truth is that they also surround words, ideas, desires, deeds, impulses and memories." Elie Wiesel

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**Starfire POV**

I screamed into the night air, my lungs filling with the tears streaming down my face. The wind whipped my hair ferociously in all directions. My heart was no longer beating regularly; it felt like it shattered into millions of pieces. Those pieces were now just shards cutting through my veins as the blood circulated through my body. I lifted my hands now covered in blood. I pressed down on his chest, trying to keep the splurging blood in. It kept pooling around him. His mask had fallen off and his bruised face reflected back at me. His eyes were now glassed over and he stared into the night air. His pupils were extremely dilated and his skin was clammy. I screamed again, begging for anyone to come save him. I failed him; I was the cause of this. The thumping of his heart beneath my hands slowed to a complete stop. Pain coursed its way through me like poison, I felt paralyzed, forever still, forever gone, forever in love. Hands wrapped around me and I was pulled away from him, flashing lights and sirens screamed into the chilly air. Small snowflakes began to fall, adding to the influx of tears on my face. People were talking to me but I could not hear them, all I could hear was his last words to me; "Forever, together in love".

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**1 year ago**

**January 1**

**Midnight**

**Starfire POV**

Bottles popped and giggles and shouts erupted from the crowds. The countdown had ended and now everyone in the Tower was drinking Champaign and bringing on the New Year. This was all strange to me, Earthly traditions confused me immensely but that did not mean I could not participate in the fun activities the night had for me. I grabbed a Champaign glass off of the nearest tray and began to sip from it. The bubbles hissed their way down my throat and the music began to play. Cyborgs voice bleared out of the speakers as he announced his party music mix. The guests began to dance excitedly. Most of the guests were just Titans from all over the globe including important politicians and mayors. Flash bumped into me slightly as he pulled an angry pink haired witch onto the floor with him. She smacked him in the chest playfully but gave into the temptation of the music. I smiled at them, they were happy, they were cute, and they were a couple. My heart suddenly felt sharp and I sucked in a breath. They were also a reminder. I turned to walk across the room; I would not allow myself to slip back into the pain. I needed to enjoy myself just as Raven had told me to. I reached an empty table and sat down at the nearest chair. I studied the dancing couples and their happiness. Their faces were pink with drunkenness, happiness, and love. Something that I am internally bound to forever. The same pain came back to me and I downed the rest of my Champaign. I refuse to sink back into my feelings; I saved those for when I was alone at night with my pillows and blankets. The best thing about pillows is that they do not tell anyone what you are feeling. You can cry into them for eternity and no one will ever know. Something suddenly touched my shoulder and I jumped. I looked to see who it was, of course it was Raven. She could sense others' feelings and she probably could feel my impending darkness enveloping my soul. Her words exact.

"Hello friend Raven, are you enjoying the party?" I smiled brightly at her.

"Cut the crap Starfire, I know you're upset. Can't you just enjoy yourself for one night?" She asked sympathetically. Her purple eyes seared into mine and I shivered. It was hard to keep up a fake smile when someone like her was around. She could read my entire soul if she wanted to!

My smile faded and I sighed. "I am trying, I really am." I said quietly.

She glared at me. "Try harder." She stepped from behind me and looked to the dance floor. Her purple dress was absolutely stunning on her. She begged me not to make her get it, but it was literally made for her.

I stood up and placed my glass on the table. "Want me to try harder? Fine." I grabbed her wrist, which was as cold as hell itself. I dragged her onto the makeshift dance floor. Music screamed at us and I began to dance. Raven looked like she wanted to throttle me. I giggled at her expression. "Dance Raven! You cannot just stand here!"

She crossed her arms. "I can and I will."

I smirked devilishly. I grabbed her hands and began to twirl her. Before I knew it she was dancing along with me. We ended up morphing further and further into the twisting and meshing crowd. Sweat licked my neck and dripped off my forehead. It was hot! Bodies bumped back and forth and Raven actually let out a small smile. I was so happy she was allowing herself to be free for this one careless occasion.

"Having fun?" I shouted at her.

She wiggled her hips to the music. "I'm only doing this for you." She grunted and continued to dance. Someone bumped into her and she momentarily stopped. Her cheeks turned pink as she muttered her small apologies. When she realized who it was she punched him in the arm. "Watch it!" She screamed.

I let a giggle escape me. Beast Boy smirked at her. "I didn't know you could dance!" He had a goofy smile plastered on his face and his green hair was tousled sexily. His tie hung limply around his neck and the top button of his shirt was undone.

She crossed her arms. "I don't, I'm only doing this for Star." She mumbled.

Beast Boy smiled cheekily at her. "You look nice tonight Raven, dance with me. Please?"

Her eyes widened and she looked to me for help. I shrugged and continued to dance, Speedy appeared by me and we began to laugh and bebop to the music together. Beast Boy grabbed Raven and began to dance with her. I swore she smiled. It made my heart flutter to know that she was crushing on Beast Boy. I felt like he was too, but I was not sure. I continued to dance with the red headed boy until he was dragged away by another Titan. I danced by myself enjoying the variety of music playing. I giggled when I saw the mayor swinging his tie over his head. Cyborg and Bumblebee were dancing close together, their bodies meshed together. He opened up a panel on his arm and pressed a button. The music suddenly changed and I frowned. It was slow dance time. Everyone grabbed someone as the jazzy and seductive tunes flowed mellifluously from the speakers. People paired off and danced romantically with each other. I frowned and inched my way off the dance floor. I saw Raven and Beast Boy huddled together dancing romantically with each other. Her head was resting on his chest and he rocked her back and forth. It looked so sweet, and I felt so happy for her. There was really someone for everyone. _Except me. _

The pain coursed through me again and I clutched my chest cavity. I tried to calm myself but seeing all the coupled people together alarmed me. Raven's head snapped up and she looked towards me. I put on the best fake smile I could and waved happily at her. She mouthed "Are you okay?"

I nodded and left the room. I could not torture myself any longer. My heels clacked on the linoleum fake flooring that we had installed in the common room just for this event. The doors opened for me and it was a relief when I stepped into the hallway. Even though it was cold outside there was no reason to crank up the heat. It was the same temperature as the dance floor! I sighed and began walking away from my room. I needed some air; air equaled jovial feelings and revival of my spirits. It also was a small comfort and relief from my pain. The pain that _he_ caused. I shook my head angrily, I was not about to let his name or face ruin my night. He is probably off somewhere in the City playing with one of the City girls, or at a fancy party of the New Year. I could not stand to think of it.

I reached the door I was aiming for and I pushed it open. It creaked and specks of rust flew off of it. The cold weather always made doors to the outside rusty. A strong gust of wintry air slammed me and I welcomed it on my skin. Goosebumps shot up on my bare arms and legs but I did not care. The sky was extremely dark and fat flakes of snow pirouetted down from the sky. I heaved off my heels and they clacked harshly towards the direction on which I threw them. My bare feet tingled on the tower roof and I walked towards the edge of the building. I looked over and I could see the lights of the party reflecting off the windows far below. It felt odd not being down there. I ignored the feeling and sat down on the edge of the tower. I allowed my feet to dangle and I placed my hands on my sides. Now was the time as any to let my emotions flow freely. Raven probably would not sense me when I am all the way up here.

I believe what really was bothering me was the way the couples were having fun. It sounded preposterous to my own ears but sensible. They were happy, loving, and joyous; I was not. I do not think I will ever be again. I allow myself to fall back into grief over and over again, it is not fair being Tamaranian and unable to control who you fall in love with. I was so young all those years ago; Robin and I were inseparable after Tokyo. We dated for an entire year; it was truly magical for me but now that I look back on it not so much for him. His mentor, Batman, did not like the idea of a girlfriend tying him down. I guess he wanted Robin to be as much as an _Obergnak_ as him, I think on Earth that is called a 'loner'. Robin was constantly arguing with him about how much he loved me and in return Batman said that he did not know what love was. Infuriated I rebutted with my famous last line of 'who are you to judge what love is?' Neither Robin nor the Batman liked that and for our last three months together Robin pushed me away from him. At our one year anniversary I was going to tell him the truth about Tamaranian love and what it does to me but by that time he was ready to do the breaking up. He shattered my heart claiming that we were 'heroes', meaning that we had duties that regular people did not. As usual I respected his decision and we seized our romantic endeavors, in the process we also ended our friendship. I guess that is what I cherish and miss the most, our friendship. Raven is a glorious friend, but I cannot talk to her like I did Robin.

I sigh and notice that I lost feeling in my toes because of the cold weather. I try to wiggle them but they do not listen. I light up and Starbolt and bring it close to my feet, it hurts too much to thaw them out. I grunt angrily and proceed to stand up; I wish I did not become so lost in my mind. I walk towards the door ready to head to my room and jump into my shower. As I open the door my head hits something equally hard. "Garflgnaks!" I yell and I grab my forehead. I look to see what I hit and I meet an all too familiar mask. I intake a breath as I mutter a small apology.

His mask scrunches up slightly. "Are you okay?" He asks his voice full of concern.

I nod, unable to talk.

"Your eyes." He breaths and comes a little closer to me.

I look at him curiously and touch my face, it is damp and I redden slightly. "I was expressing my sorrow." I say slowly. "I did not realize."

Robin touched my cheek. "Did something happen at the party, are you hurt?" He asks with so much concern in his voice it falsely raises my hopes.

"No, I was just reminiscing. Have pleasant shlorvaks." I skirt around him and proceed to continue my plans with taking a hot shower. I feel a hand grip my wrist and I turn my head back towards him, full of confusion.

He looks surprised and perplexed but he shakes his head quickly. "Do you want to talk for a little bit, I can't concentrate with the party going on. Care to be a distraction?" He smirks at me and my heart melts.

I truly consider his offer; my heart is fluttering as I think of all the possible things we can catch up on. I miss his companionship and our random conversations. I quickly think of the heartbreak and snatch my arm away. I do not wish to fall back into my sleepless nights and teary eyes. "No, I am fine."

The disappointment in his face was excruciating to look at and I was a second away from changing my mind. "One of these days I'm going to make you have a conversation with me." He said sadly.

"That is fine; I have the option not to answer." I said hotly and made my way down the stairs. I heard his footsteps as he tried to catch up with me.

He sighed. "Come on Star; are you still angry with me? It's been years!" He said agitatedly.

The way he said my name sent shivers down my spine. If only he knew, if only he would have listened when I tried to tell him that Tamaranian love is everlasting. I am lucky to still have the ability to fly. "Goodnight Robin." I said sternly, hoping he could not hear the pain in my voice. I exited the stairway and ran towards my room hurriedly. As soon as I arrived in my room I broke down into sobs, I am glad no one was around to hear me. Silkie looked at me queerly and I flopped down on the bed next to him. I hate feeling like this, I hate knowing that I will love him until the day I die. I sometimes wish I never fell in love with him. I am 21 years old and there is no reason for such sadness at such an age.

The tears stop sometime when the sun peeks through my window. I feel numb and tired and physically exhausted. I need to move on, I cannot bear to keep living like this. My brain wracks for an answer and I reach over to my night side drawer to pull out my answer; it is the interplanetary device I use to call home. I believe it is time to move on and leave the Titans for good; my heart cannot bear anymore avoidance. Earth has been very kind to me and I wish for my leave to have a small impact on the City.

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A/N: First chapter is done! If you guys like it then I'll definitely move on with the story and post the next chapter. This took some extreme thought and logic to come up with a plot, but I did it! I am POSITIVE you guys will like this story. As for my other stories, I'm working on it; promise! I've just taken a small break from Unraveled by Indignities. My brain can't take anymore Sabot Bey Drama (if you don't know what that is look it up). ANYWAYS, stay with this story! I love reviews and I will accept any requests!

Please FOLLOW, FAVORITE, AND REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW! PLEASE! Let me know how you feel!

Next Chapter: Starfire says goodbye to the team and one member of the team takes her leaving the hardest. *Robin POV* next chapter! AND Raven and BB share a secret moment sensual moment (ooh). XOXO

What the Story had ahead: What will happen when Starfire gets to Tamarand? What is Robin going to do when Crime increases in Jump City? What will happen when Beast Boy makes a shocking confession to Raven? Follow to find out!


	2. The Wind of Unbearable Change

To Guest again: Yes, I am writing a RobStar story, I felt like I needed a change! Do not worry, I will update Unraveled by Indignities soon enough, I'm trying to add a little more action into the next chapter. When I start a story I always finish it! That's a promise! I'm a diehard BBrae fan BUT I felt like I wasn't being fair to RobStar so I concocted this beauty. I will continue to update my other stories along with this one. Thanks for reviewing! XOXO

To Miss Geek (Guest): HAHA Starfire is not a sheep in this one, I hate it when authors portray her as weak. She's a freaking alien! How could she be weak? Anyways, yes I will carry on with the story I hope you enjoy it. Thank you for reviewing.

To Guest: THANKS! ENJOY THE NEXT CHAPTER!

A/N: I loved the reviews guys! Thank you so much, and please keep reviewing! Since I received good reception from the first chapter I'll definitely move on with the story. You bring smiles to my face and really make me feel good about my writing endeavors. Just to let you know this chapter contains multiple POV's I hope it doesn't confuse anyone. Enjoy…

"All Changes, even the most longed for, have their melancholy; for what we leave behind us is a part of ourselves; we must die to one life before we can enter another." Anatole France

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**January 2**

**Morning**

**Starfire POV**

I believe now is the time as any to tell my friends that I am quitting the Titans. I do not wish for my absence to be taken harshly, but I do not want my presence to be forgotten. Right now everyone is sitting down at the table eating the breaking of fast. They look so harmonious I feel as if I should not do the dropping of bombs on them, but this must be done. I cannot continue to live in agony.

I clear my throat and look at them. "Friends I have something I would like to discuss."

Their heads snap up and they look at me expectantly. I feel the butterflies of nervousness in my belly.

"Yeah, what's up little lady?" Cyborg asks sweetly.

I take a deep breath and avoid Robin's gaze. "As you know I have left Tamaran in my K'norfka Galfore's hands since my absence. He has been leading the planet and taken the royal substitution position until my return. I believe it is safe for me to return to my home, I want to take my leadership position back."

They stopped moving and just stared at me. Raven dropped her hood and looked at me sincerely. "Are you sure you want to move back?" Her gravely monotone voice holds the slightest pinch of compassion.

I nod. "I am 21 years old, not a child anymore. I can understand the leadership role now more than ever." I twist my hands in nervousness and still trying to avoid Robin's gaze.

Beast Boy chuckles. "Then it's settled, you're going back to Tamaran." He smiles at me and it gives me reassurance, he has always been good with making me feel better in the worst of situations.

Robin slams his fist down on the table and I jump slightly. I turn to look at him and he glares at me, enraged by my decision. "What about the Team?" He asks. "What about the City?"

I am surprised by his outburst so I rebuttal quickly. "I believe the Team shall do fine with my absence, we are all the grown up so I do not see any problem with them taking up my position." I say with slight attitude in my voice. I do not know why I regard Robin the way I do now, it is almost an instinct to want to hurt him using my tone of voice and words. It leaves me feeling guilty and even more heartbroken.

"That's very selfish of you, after everything we built and you're going to run off pretending as if nothing happened!" He huffed and stood up from the table.

I felt my blood boil and my energy explode. How dare he twist my words out of proportion? "I never said that, and I am not running off!" I said angrily back at him.

He looked at me and his mask tightened. "You're weak and a coward for running away from your team!"

Everyone's mouths dropped and I looked at him with an equal amount of rage in my eyes. I never thought in a trillion years he would ever call me weak. I sucked in my hurt feelings and replaced them with rage, and anger. "How dare you call me weak, I am stronger than this team combined!" I roar and light up my eyes, my hands begin to glow and I aim a Star bolt at him. "You are the reason for my anger, sadness, and disposition! You did this, and I will not stay on Earth to bear it any longer!" Accidental tears roll down my face and sting my cheeks. Since my eyes are lit up the tears are acidic and leave long trails. The anger I feel inside of me slowly dissipates into anguish, and I fear that Raven is reading my emotions.

Robin took a step back as Raven and Cyborg stood between us. Raven looked at me and read my emotions. An understanding look lit up her face and she lowered my arm. "Cyborg, Beast Boy take Robin out of here." She said harshly.

They nodded and followed Robin out of the Common Room. He looked back at me and his eyes read, regret, guilt, and sadness. I quickly looked away feeling ashamed for misunderstanding his actions. I look up at Raven and she slowly shakes her head at me.

"Are you sure you want to do this? There are other ways to forget about him." Raven says carefully.

I nod appreciatively. "There is no other way, and it is impossible to forget him. I will have to move to another planet to gain a small amount of normalcy back into my life." A tear runs down my cheek and I feel weaker than I ever have especially with Raven reading every emotion seeping out of me. "It pains me to know that Robin will never love me again. This is the only way to feel slightly better."

Raven sighs and pulls up her hood. "Let's figure out a way to get you to Tamaran, shall we?"

I smile at her. "I tried to contact Galfore but my message never made it through. I was thinking I could take a Titan Pod there and ship it back on manual."

Raven nodded. "I guess you really thought this through." She sighs and I suddenly feel guilty for leaving Raven, she was everything I could have asked for in a friend and I am just leaving her on the whim. "When are you planning on leaving?"

"Tomorrow morning, I do not wish to dwell upon my decision or I might change my mind." I smiled meekly at her and she sighed once again.

Before she could say anything Beast Boy and Cyborg walked through the doors. Cyborg smiled at me and I returned his happiness. "We left Robin in his room, he feels awful for what he said. It's sad to see you go little lady, you have to make sure to visit often."

"I will." I say and give him a brief hug.

Beast Boy looks at me. "I guess we all knew this day would happen soon, it just crept up so unexpectedly though." His face looks sad and I wish I could console him, out of everyone on the team he's matured the most.

Instead I look at Cyborg. "I need the assistance with fixing the Titan Pod; I know it is damaged from our last intergalactic battle."

Cyborg smiles at me. "To the garage!" He shouts and I follow him. I look back and Beast Boy is approaching Raven.

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**Raven POV**

I watch Starfire disappear with Cyborg and something in me twists, I feel sad. I feel slightly abandoned, why? Something taps my shoulder and I look to see what it is, I lower my hood and to my dismay Beast Boy is smiling cheekily at me. He grins and his one fang ticks out.

"So?" His smile widens.

I feel my eye twitch in annoyance. "What?" I ask vaguely.

"The party _last night_?" He drags on the words 'last night', insinuating an oncoming conversation.

I sigh and pinch the bridge of my nose. "I danced with you, not a big deal." I respond, hoping he doesn't see the pink in my cheeks. I opened myself up to him last night, I wish I could blame it on the Champaign but I barely had a sip.

His mouth opens and he quickly shuts it. He looks at me with a sparkle in his eye and I roll my eyes at him, slightly annoyed that he's looking at me at all.

Beast Boy and I have a peculiar relationship, some days I hate him and other days I feel like I could hug him; which is a huge stretch for me. I hate times like this through when he pushes me to explain myself and admit something that I'm not ready to admit. We both know there's a special bond we both share with each other but neither of us will admit it. Something about the way that he pushes me outside of my boundaries entices me to a point where even I can't sort my own emotions out. I quickly shake my head, unable to think about this any longer. "I'm going to my room." I say quietly to him.

He looks at me before his face turns serious. "I need to talk to you about something." He says it rather quickly and I sense nervousness seeping out of him.

I raise my eyebrows. "I hope this isn't one of your tricks, if it is I'm going to kill you."

He shakes his head and his eyes bleed seriousness. "It's important, follow me." He looks indecisive for a moment and I follow him out of the common room and down the hallway. Something in my gut tells me that this is the start of something serious but I ignore it. Usually when Beast Boy became serious it was only for a prank he was about to pull or a secret he needed to tell me. I look around and realize that he's taking me to his room, which is odd considering that he never takes me to his room.

I tap him on the shoulder. "Why are you taking me to your room?" I try to keep my voice monotone but my nervousness gives me away.

He doesn't answer me and I begin to worry that this may be more than just a little prank. I try to calm my emotions, he's blindly putting himself at risk for an accidental dose of my power. He opens his door and disappears inside and I follow, not realizing what I'm about to get myself into. I take a deep breath and look at him expectantly. "What's wrong? Your nerves are really getting to me."

He looks at me like he's afraid for a moment and his emotions read fear. "I need your help, but please whatever you think, don't judge me, please."

I become slightly worried. "Beast Boy what's going on?"

He sighs and walks over to his computer desk. He fingers a folder slightly and shuffles his feet. "I couldn't go to Cyborg with this because he wouldn't take it serious. Robin doesn't like getting involved with plans like mine so he's also out of question. Starfire has been distant for a while now so that left only one person; you."

"Okay, so what is it?" I eyed the folder curiously, hoping that everything was okay. His demeanor and emotions told differently which caught me off guard. He was usually so childish and flippant.

He inhaled deeply a moment before shoving the folder at me. I looked at him perplexingly before opening it. Inside there were three papers, they were formatted like passports with a picture of a person on the top and a bunch of writing below it. The pictures looked extremely familiar to her, the way the jaw line curved on the man's mouth and the green eyes of his spouse. I looked at the names and exhaled sharply. _Marie Logan and Mark Logan. _The third picture was of a man in his late 30's of the named _Boris Tesla. _He had somewhat grey hair and a slight aftershave. He had bright blue eyes the color of icecaps in the artic and a tiresome smile.

I looked up at Beast Boy and he regarded me carefully. "I need your help finding Tesla." He said huskily.

* * *

**Robin POV**

I feel stupid, and dull, and everything in between. I shouldn't have exploded at her the way I did. What the hell was I thinking? Was I even thinking? I stop pacing around my room and sit on my bed, I place my head in my hands and exhale deeply. It felt like yesterday that we were sitting on top of the Farris wheel watching fireworks explode and cascade down in spirals above us. She was so beautiful, and full of vibrancy. If I could go back to any time it would be that one, before I was forced to break up with her, before she decided to leave the Titans, and definitely before today.

I've been sitting in this room for hours, my mind racing with ideas on how to apologize but none come to me. She hasn't had a conversation with me since the break up and every time I try to talk to her she pushes me away like I'm some type of lab rat. We're 21 now, our past relationship shouldn't be the thing holding us back from being friends, and I just don't understand it. Before I can ponder it any longer my computer screen beeps loudly. I walk over to the desk and notice I have an incoming call from Gotham City. I gulp, hoping nothing bad has happened. I answer the message and an old familiar face stars back at me with a frown. I swallow hard. "Hey Bruce."

He nods at me. "You haven't been answering my calls in a while and you look terrible, what happened?" He asks with no sympathy in his voice.

I sigh and sit down in front of him. It's never been easy talking to Bruce about anything except crime and missions. Now that I'm 21 I try to solve most of my problems on my own, but this is different, this is about Starfire. "Nothing happened, I just found out that Starfire is leaving the team and heading back to Tamaran. I honestly don't know how to change her mind." I try not to sound whiny and pitiful but it's not working.

Bruce frowns. "Why would you try to change her mind? She's obviously set on leaving Earth, allow her to do so."

I knew talking to him wouldn't be easy. "I can't let her go."

"Why? I can send you a replacement for the team." He says sternly.

"It's personal; I just don't want her to go." I say cautiously, hoping that Bruce doesn't sense the weakness in my voice.

Bruce pinches the bridge of his nose, now I know that means he's upset with me. "We've talked about this before Dick. Place your personal life behind you and focus on being a hero. If the alien girl wants to run off to her own home let her, I believe it's time for everyone in that Tower to move on anyway."

I bit down on the inside of my cheek, holding in the words I wanted to say. "What do you mean, move on?" I question him.

He sighs. "None of you are 'Teen' Titans anymore; I think it's time to leave. You should think about what you want to do with your hero career, and as my Ward."

"I can't just move on! What about the Team? What about Jump City?" I ask with a hint of apprehension in my voice.

"Jump City will be fine; Cyborg can handle training new recruits. I think you should move back to Gotham, it's the only way to get away from the personal life dragging you down."

I stare at him before slowly nodding my head. I'm not entirely sure if I should listen to him, but I don't want to feel like this anymore. I don't want to feel guilty for breaking Starfire's heart, it's too much. I'm a hero, not a Hollywood celebrity with love problems. Maybe this is the right choice; this could be a new beginning for me. "Fine, I'll see you in a couple days." I say quietly and log off immediately. I cradle my head in my hands and think about my future without Starfire; it's nearly impossible.

* * *

**Raven POV **

"Who's Tesla and why do we need to find him?" I ask cautiously. Beast Boy stares at me and looks like he's pondering something. I sense his emotions and realize that he's nervous, afraid, and untrusting. I don' understand why. "Beast Boy, what's wrong?"

"You can't tell anyone this, not even the other Titans. Promise me." He looks heartbreakingly serious and I nod my head. He continues. "Boris Tesla created the mutated green monkey gene in Africa. He created the animal that bit me and turned me into who I am today. I've been tracking him for years with no luck until now. One of my resources in Argentina said they found one of his labs, I need to break into it and find him."

I blinked my eyes rapidly trying to push down my emotions that were bubbling up. "Let me get this straight, you found the guy who created the green animal and you want to find him? AND you have resources? How long have you been tracking this guy?" I ask trying to keep the trepidation out of my voice.

"My whole life." He shrugs and I can see relief in his eyes, I'm still confused though.

"Why do you need me?" I ask.

"I can't do this mission alone, it's dangerous and risky. Tesla is a criminal now; he's mutated many humans and animals. He has the capacity to kill anyone who gets in his way." Beast Boy takes the folder from me and closes it.

I watch as his shoulders slump slightly. "Why exactly do you want to find him?"

Beast Boy begins to look nervous and runs a hand through his hair. "Never ask questions you don't want to know the answer to." He says deeply.

This whole day has been confusing enough for me so out of frustration his lamp shade snaps in half. I need to meditate or he's going to feel my wrath. Too much is happening for me to comprehend. "I'm going to ask you one last time. Why exactly do you want to find Tesla?"

He approaches me and his face is 4 inches away from mine. I can smell his musky scent and read every line in his matured face. "He has the cure that will turn me human again."

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A/N: Duh Duh DUH! Crazy ridiculous right? Beast Boy wants a cure? WHAT? Hahaha. Anyways, not much happened in this chapter but the next one will be full of adventure and romance-ish stuff. PROMISE! Thank you for reading this, I love you all! Yes even you.

PLEASE Follow, FAVORITE, and **REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!**

Next Chapter: Starfire says goodbye in a teary way and her arrival on Tamaran is not what she expected. Robin makes plans on leaving the Tower. AND Raven criticizes Beast Boy in the worst way that leaves him emotionally unstable. Stay with me to find out!


	3. Strained Emotions

To Guest again: I'm one of your favorite authors? *Blush* Oh stop! Hahaha! Your review made my day! I'm very glad you like the change of pace in the pairing. I felt like a Rob Star story needed to be done the correct way, unlike some other authors I know on here. Haha. ANYWAYS, YES you should get a fanfic account, it would make it easier to review AND I could reply to your reviews a lot faster! If you do get an account PM me! XOXO.

To Miss Geek: 1) Exactly, Starfire is the strongest of heroes I know. If you read her old comics she's an asskicker. Her new appearances in New 52 are AWFUL DO NOT READ! Haha. 2) I know right! I'm the type of writer who adds surprises and shockers, keep your eyes peeled! Thanks for reviewing!

To Guest: Thank you! I'm glad you think so!

A/N: I LOVED the reviews guys! Thank you so much, it meant the world to me. This is a nice long chapter, four thousand words! This is where the REAL drama starts. Enjoy the next chapter to your hearts content.

"All emotions are pure which gather you and lift you up; that emotion is impure which seizes only one side of your being and so distorts you." Rainer Maria Rilke

* * *

**January 3**

**Rooftop- Titan's Tower**

**Starfire POV**

The day is sunny and bright, the water surrounding the Tower is sparkling and the small puffy clouds that float by form delirious shapes of grandeur. I am currently standing next to my very own Titan pod that I will be able to fly to Tamaran with. Friend Cyborg and I fixed it yesterday and I am full of the butterflies of nervousness for my long awaited return home.

I arch my back and absorb the Earth sunlight for what may be the last time. This was surely my favorite planet and if it was my choice I would stay here and learn more about the human species. My heart clenches at the thought of it and I know that this is surely the very last time I will ever be content on Earth again. My conscious mind reflects on all the fun times I have shared with my friends here, from the perilous journeys into missions to the fun nights where we would coax Raven into playing the bottle of spinning with us. My heart reflects on all the romantic feelings and dates Robin and I shared together, it painfully reawakens the emotions I felt when we shared a first kiss. I can almost trace the outline of his lips against mine, oh how I miss it! And his hands smooth but rough with history-

"Starfire!" A gravelly voice interrupts my thoughts.

I am shaken out of my reveries and look behind me quickly. Raven is approaching me slowly her hood drawn up. I embarrassedly look at her with a solemn face, knowing well that she was reading my emotions.

She sighs and lowers her hood. She looks tired and worried. It was rare of Raven to show such emotion but when she did it was usually around me. "Stop thinking about the past, it will make it harder to go." She said in her monotone voice.

I smile sadly and embrace her in a bone crushing hug. She makes a gurgling sound that I do not comprehend and I squeeze her tighter. "I will miss you so much friend Raven! You have been the most kind to me during my years here!" A couple tears fall out of my eyes and they land on her purple cloak.

"Star…FIRE…CAN'T…Breath!" She chokes.

I instantly let her go, misunderstanding my own strength once again. "Many apologies friend." I smile meekly at her.

She catches her breath. "Do all Tamaranians have your strength?" She mutters.

I giggle then nod but before I can say anything in response Cyborg and Beast Boy burst through the rooftop doors with huge smiles on their faces. Cyborg looks expectantly at me. "Are you excited to be treated like royalty again?" He asks me.

I nod, knowing that he does not fully understand the traditions of my planet. On my planet you are treated with respect, you have to show no fear or weakness or you will immediately be corrupted by outside forces.

Beast Boy walks up to me and hands me a box. "Me and Cy decided to make something for you." He grins goofily which brings back many memories of sumptuousness.

I smile and take the box appreciatively from his hands. It is wrapped in purple wrapping paper and I become excited. I rip open the package greedily and am surprised to see a technological device. My friends know that I am not very good when it comes to technology so it confounds me as to why they bought me something that is used for social media.

They must have noticed the confused look on my face because they start laughing; even Raven adds a small smirk to the erupting chuckles. Cyborg taps the device in my hand that looks like the vocabulary device called the Kindle. "This is a Universal Titans Communicator, UTC for short." He says. "When you press the button it will turn on. If one of us is on broadcast at the same time you immediately connect with us and will be able to communicate via webcam." He smiles warmly.

"You can also select one of our names and leave us a video message." Beast Boy adds.

Tears well up in my eyes and suddenly spill over my cheeks. I am overjoyed that they created something this spectacular for me. "Glorious!" I exclaim. "I could never have asked for better friends." I pull them all in for a group hug and we all sniffle together. I will forever cherish this last moment together, we were the first Teen Titan team and I will never forget all the wondrous things they have done for me. Each one of them have taught me something individual, something I can take with me and keep forever and replay in my mind when I am feeling lonely.

A loud cough suddenly interrupts our goodbyes and we all let go to see who it is. Robin stands near us with a sad expression on his face. We all look at him and bring him into the hug as well. Even though our friendship has seized does not mean he will not forever remain as a special piece in my heart. We all silently hug for minutes more and depart.

Robin looks at me silently and moves toward me in a swift motion. He hugs me separately, which catches me off guard completely. My heart enflames suddenly and the same old feeling is creeping its way up my spine. I hug him briefly but before he lets go he whispers something so delicate in my ear I have to strain to hear it. "I'm sorry for everything." His warm breath forces the tiny hairs on the back of my neck to stand.

I am very close to changing my mind at that very moment but I decide against it. This is the only way to move on with my life, this is a must. I look at him softly. "Thank you for giving me everything I needed to feel welcome on this strange planet." I linger too long and plant a sad kiss on his cheek.

I look at my friends one last time and head for the Titan Pod. Cyborg and Beast Boy drop my bags on board and set up a GPS system for me. They both cry as they give me one last hug and climb off the ship. By this time I am bawling my eyes out, the Pod heats up and I feel it lurch beneath my seat. I wave to them as I rise into the sky. It feels like I am leaving behind my family; in a way they sort of are my family. They wave back at me, growing smaller and smaller with each incline I take. I take a deep breath and blow them one last kiss before I zoom off into the horizon. This team was everything I wanted them to be and more, they taught me what kindness is and was. They taught me that even though I may seem different to outsiders no matter what I am special in my own way. That feeling of belonging will forever linger in my heart.

As the pod shifts into automatic I unzip the bags they have packed for me and see another present. It is from Robin, my throat clenches shut and I open it. It is a picture of us on one of our numerous dates. This date was different though, this was the date that he declared to me that I was his world. In the picture I am looking dreamily at him and he is looking lovingly at me. His hand is on mine and we are showing true happiness. Underneath the picture also hidden away in the bag is a bottle of mustard, I look at it and I begin sobbing uncontrollably over the lost love I was never able to hold onto.

* * *

**Raven POV**

As we watch her Pod go a single tear slips down my cheek. I don't realize it until something touches my face and wipes it away. I look to see who it is and Beast Boy looks at me gratifyingly. A crack appears in the pavement beneath my feet and I realize I don't have too much control over my emotions right now. I suck in a breath and look at Cyborg and Robin. Robin looks terribly sad and the worst emotions are seeping from him. I want to say something but I don't know what. We literally just lost a family member, how are we supposed to feel normal? Maybe we aren't, maybe this is a new type of change. I don't know if it's a good change or a bad one only time will tell; that's what makes me hate the concept.

Beast Boy clears his throat and looks at us sadly. "So what are the plans now?"

Robin looks up at us and runs a hand over his face, glancing up at the sky one last time before looking at us dead on. "I'm leaving."

I pull up my hood trying to accept this new change that is suddenly being hurtled into my path. Why is everything happening so quickly?

Cyborg sputters and Beast Boy frowns at him. "Dude we just lost a team member, what the hell? Jump City's going to be defenseless!" Beast Boy shouted.

Robin looked more tired than I have ever seen him, even though he wears his mask constantly the lines of worry and haggardness still freckle his face. I didn't need to see his eyes to know he needed a small vacation.

He looked a Beast Boy, his mouth in a taught line. "I have to, Batman needs me there and I think it's time to move on." His jaw line twitched almost unperceivably.

I could tell he was lying about Batman needing him, but why? Why would he need to lie to get away from us? I took a deep breath and decided to dip my toes into unchartered waters. "So you're moving back to Gotham? When?" I say quietly, feeling the tension go up around me.

"Probably tomorrow, this can't wait any longer." He sighed.

Beast Boy frowned once again. "What about the Titans? This is your legacy; Robin is going to be remembered for starting something renowned. Is it over?" He sounded sad, but as I sensed his emotions a small amount of relief coursed through him. Emotions were running intently high today, so I was hoping I was mistaken.

Robin looked up to the sky one last time. "I'm leaving the Team to Cyborg, he deserves it and I'm sure this Tower belongs to him more than anyone else."

Cyborg looked partially shocked and regained his composure as quickly as he lost it. "Thank you Robin, I don't know how to repay you." He still looked somewhat shocked but pride and achievement poured out of his very soul.

I felt happy for him, but I knew that things were still going to change even more drastically.

Robin looked at us all and smiled. "I'm proud of what we've done for this City, and I want the Titan legacy to continue forever."

Cyborg smiled brightly. "One question though, how am I going to do it?" He asked in a half- jokingly manner.

Robin sighed. "You'll have to set up a direct connection to the Justice League and have them send some recruits that they've been working on. They'll be young and very inexperienced but I think you can train them." He replied casually, like he's been planning this for a long time already. His confident attitude was suddenly back and I felt a little better about his mental health.

"Wow, this is going to be amazing." Cyborg rubbed his hands together.

Robin smirked. "I'll show you how to connect to the Justice League through the computer." He and Cyborg walked towards the roof exit, Robin looked up at the sky one last time before disappearing with Cyborg down the stairs. I have a small feeling he'll be doing that more than once a day from now on.

I sighed and pulled down my hood. I allowed my emotions to sink back into me and I felt the sudden urge to meditate. Before I could curl up into lotus position a green hand waved in front of my face. I turned around to face the one person I was attempting to block out, I glared at him and he put his hands up in defense.

"I just want to talk to you, please?" He asked meekly.

I understand that he wants to talk about our discussion from yesterday, but does he not understand that I don't want to? After he told me about Tesla and the cure I left his room, refusing to talk about the subject any farther. His green eyes stared at me intensely and I couldn't bring myself to reject him; in that tiny moment I felt weak and utterly fragile. Something I've never felt before. I didn't want to ponder anymore thoughts so I had no other choice than to speak with him. "Fine talk." I said somewhat bitterly.

My bitter tone had no effect on him. "I want to explain why I want the cure." I said nothing so he decided unanimously to continue. "Remember when Adonis tried to harm you and I unleashed that giant beast from my DNA?"

I nodded and he sighed. "Well, I think it's starting to grow." He licked his lips anxiously.

Fear seeped out of him and I felt afraid for a brief moment. "What do you mean?" I mumbled alarmingly.

"I mean, it's craving something, but I don't know what. It's literally taking control of me, or trying to. I need the cure to be normal again or the animal inside of me will take over for good." His green eyes dilated in apprehension and I wanted to reach out and reassure him.

"How do you know your animal side is taking over? What are the symptoms?" I look deeply into his eyes, not wanting to miss any of his emotions.

"Increased appetite, my muscle tone is growing at a rapid pace, and I'm starting to crave meat. It's literally driving me insane!" He said and ran both his hands through his hair.

"Why didn't I see signs of this any sooner?" I ask bewildered by his state of mind. I shrug and look towards the sky.

He looks at me and frowns deeply. "You rarely ever look at me, most of the time you look right through me." He said huskily, his eyes revealing hurt and something else I can't read.

I step back, feeling like I was punched in the gut. What did he mean? I always look at him, especially when he's being a pest. Infuriated I take a step forward. "That's not true, I always look at you." I cross my arms.

He shakes his head and fake laughs. "Don't fool yourself Rae, all you've ever cared about was your books and mirror. That's why it's so hard for you to be social because you block yourself out from caring about anyone, including me." He swallows. "It's selfish."

I feel my blood boil and the rooftop below my feet begins to crack once again. I feel intensely angry and decide to hold nothing back. "Are you calling me selfish?" I shout angrily.

His eyes widen in surprise and then they narrow accepting my challenge of a fight. "Yes I am, it's about time someone told you the brutal truth. You're always so brutally honest with us; it's time for you to get a taste of your own medicine."

"How dare you?" I ask angrily, I feel the puffy clouds above my head darken and start to crowd over the Titan Tower. "How dare you call out my flaws when you have even worse traits about yourself?"

He smirks smugly. "Oh yeah, what? What could possibly be wrong with me?" He asks waving his arms around.

I sigh and uncross my arms feeling too angry to keep still any longer. "You're vain, sanctimonious, stubborn, otiose, lazy, incoherent, and stupid!" I say trying to keep my voice on a certain level of anger so I don't do anything I might regret.

He laughs. "Is that it Raven? Stupid?" He shakes his head. "I'm nowhere as near as bad as you." He says as he noticed the clouds above our heads.

I feel my energy darken and thunder rumbles slowly from the sky. "I'm not done." I growl. "You're also very weak, you can't accept the burden you've been dealt to live with and now you want to change yourself so you won't be looked at as abnormal. You care too much what other people think of you. You'll never be a leader like Robin or Cyborg because you're too cowardly to accept your own fate; you'll always be Beast _Boy_, never a man." I sigh and feel my energy lessen, the clouds above my head thin away and I feel satisfied. I look at his green eyes and I read the strangest emotions of all; sadness, anger, mistrust, and grief.

He looks extremely sad and his face drops. "Something that you should know about yourself is that you're very judgmental. Even though you claim to have some control over your powers, your real power is to degrade and vitiate people who truly care about you." He turns to leave and breaks into a sprint for the door. The door slams decisively and I feel my emotions fall back into place where they're supposed to be.

I'm left standing there feeling like an idiot. I judged him for wanting a cure to something that is consuming his life. I hurt him more than I ever thought I would. I failed to realize one simple fact; supernatural abilities don't hurt people, words do.

The clouds gather together once again and small rain droplets begin to pour onto the rooftop. They smell like desolation and smog. Once again I am alone, but this time the loneliness doesn't feel as welcome as I want it to be.

* * *

**Starfire POV**

The monitor on my Pod lights up claiming that I have reached the Vegan System where my planet of Tamaran lies. I quickly turn off the auto pilot and gain control of the small spacecraft myself. My heart skips a beat as I think of how they will take my arrival. Will they be happy upon their rulers' arrival and return, or displeased with my departure? I honestly did not have much of a choice when I left. My heart thumps as I wait for my arrival, I cannot wait to see Galfore and his smile, he was my only real friend and guardian on my lonely and sad planet.

The Pod floats through a purple cloud before finally spotting Tamaran. I squeal in delight and quickly pack up my things. As I approach Tamaran I have to recite the rules in my head. I realize that I have to calm my energy and become as stoic and strong willed as I possibly can be. The Pod shifts and I realize that I have entered the atmosphere of my planet. I drift towards the royal palace and I take notice of a couple things, my family's royal flags are no longer hanging from the Hurgflads'. The houses that lined the outer provinces surrounding the castle do not have the salute of X'hal on it anymore. I ponder that as I land the Pod directly in front of the royal palace, I immediately cut the engine and guards swarm my vessel.

I step out in my Tamaranian Royal clothing and the guards gasp. I switch my tongue into my native patois and address my people. "Greetings Tamaranians'. It is I, Koriand'r. I am back from planet Earth and I intend to take my role back as leader of Tamaran." I smirk at them but the guards do not move. They look rather frightened which scares me.

I turn around as I hear footsteps. A man of about thirty years in age walks out from the palace. He looks at me displeasingly. "Why have you returned?" He says in a thick voice.

"To reclaim my throne." I respond with too much eagerness.

He raises his eyebrows and looks around at the guards. "My name is Karras, does that name sound familiar?" He begins to walk towards me and I feel slightly nervous.

I shake my head and he looks slightly confused. I mentally curse myself as I realize that on Tamaran people do not nod or shake their heads. "No it does not, please explain to me why I should know your name?" I intend clearly.

His boot crunches as he stops in front of me, his face is inches from mine and I feel afraid for some odd reason. Karras is intimidating and tall, his demeanor is too superior. I back up a little. "Please tell me where Galfore is, I would like to speak with him."

Karras suddenly chuckles, which is only done when someone has poor intents for the guest or person present. He glares at me. "Galfore is dead; you might as well join him."

I betray myself and scream out in terror, I am at loss for words. Before I can even ponder the thought any longer I feel something stab through my back and the world of Tamaran that I had once loved swirls out of my vision. The light fades out and the last thing I remember seeing is a golden studded boot. I think of Robin as my body swirls into eternal darkness.

* * *

A/N: Cliffy! Yeah, I'm famous for them. Anyone else here as worried as I am? It's almost too much to handle! I hope you all like it, I worked extremely hard on this chapter and I appreciate your time and consideration on reading it. Question though, is there too much BB and Rae? If there is I can cut it down but I have something HUGE planned for that arc, let me know. As a diehard BBRae fan it's kind of hard for me not to include them as a vital component. I know this is a Rob Star story but I like to do multiple arcs and love scenes, your input is extremely vital to me.

PLEASE Follow, Favorite, AND **REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW! For Santa's sake! **

Next Chapter: Raven ponders her innermost demons and thoughts. Robin moves out officially but approaches some trouble when he enters Gotham City. Cyborg welcomes in the first replacement Titans (can you guess who?) *Unraveled By Love fans will know. AND WTF is happening on Tamaran? *Prepare your tissue boxes.*

Thanks for reading stay tuned for the next amazing chapter!


	4. The Limits of the Inhuman Soul

To Guest Again: You know who the replacement is?! Well that makes sense; you were an Unraveled By Love fan. You tried to make an account?! YAY! To solve your problem try to make a new email account, preferably with Gmail and then proceed to sign up with Fanfiction. Fanfiction is a tricky website and it is so password protected it's sometimes hard to actually create an account. I hope you make an account, but your problem is unique. Best of luck! Anyways, THANK YOU. I can't believe I'm your favorite author, it blows my mind that my writing is actually affecting someone on a personal level. Our meager conversations actually work both ways; you read my updates and feel better and I read your reviews which brighten my mood. I actually live in a very abusive and difficult household, my life is not easy to comprehend and often tragic events happen to me in very complicated ways. Your review along with everyone else's literally save my life. I appreciate every bit of time you put into reading my story, thank you so much for reviewing and please give yourself a piece of cake for being so awesome. XOXO!

A/N: Loved the reviews and support, you guys are very committed and amazing. Love you ALL! Many of you expressed your emotions involving BB and Rae, some of you said it was too much and others said that this story needed more. I honestly don't know what to do now. Maybe I can find a perfect balance, if you're feeling uncomfortable with the BBRaeness please let me know! If you want more BBRae let me know! Thanks! Enjoy this next chapter, I have a feeling you all will like it.

* * *

**January 3**

**Titan Tower- Early Morning**

**Robin POV**

It's hard to say goodbye to the home you practically grew up in. The memories that happened in this Tower will last a lifetime in my mind; I just want to make sure that the legacy we created will forever leave an imprint. If I had a choice I would stay here, but Bruce is right it's time to move on. To think of it is almost painful, but I have to be strong; if Starfire was strong enough to move on then so am I. I just wish things turned out differently for me and her. I shake my head slowly realizing that I shouldn't be thinking about that right now, now is a time to say goodbye to my Tower, my home, my legacy.

I close my eyes and arch my back absorbing the sunlight as Starfire had once taught me to do in difficult times. The rooftop door swings open and my team steps out. They look sad and disappointed but I honor them for respecting my decision.

Beast Boy looks at me and pulls me in for a bro-hug. "Don't forget about us out there in big Gotham." He says sadly.

"I won't, our time here will forever linger with me." I say with a small amount of solace in my voice.

Cyborg approaches me and hands me the same type of device Starfire was holding. "Keep it close, I have a feeling this won't be the last time we see you." He plops the Kindle looking device into my hands, it's shiny and new and I feel even sadder.

Raven hugs me silently. Her hood is drawn up so I can't see her face, but I know she is sad to see me go. We have a mental connection and I feel bad for leaving her; she was like a sister to me.

I look at my team, my amazing ass kicking team and smile. "Thank you for giving me an opportunity to prove myself to my mentor. Thank you for being everything and more for me, I will never forget what each of you taught me personally."

Beast Boy smiles back. "We won't, and thank you for teaching us how to collaborate and work as a team. You trained us and showed us what true teamwork meant, even through thick and thin you were a fearless leader; you will forever be our fearless leader."

We all share a group hug before I step into my own individual Titan Pod. Cyborg tosses up my bags and I catch them. They look intensely sad and heartbroken. Raven lowers her hood and the link in my mind lights up. I hear her voice before I know it's hers. _"Thank you Robin for teaching me to respect and love outsiders, whenever you need to talk know that I am here." _I smile at Raven and her purple eyes reflect back at me sadly.

I sigh and power up the Pod, it rumbles beneath me and as I look at my Team I imagine Starfire there staring up at me and waving. I imagine her beaming smile and her repercussions of the word 'glorious'. I can't help but feel sad and abandoned for a quick moment before I zoom off into the horizon. It's hard to say goodbye, but it's the only way to move on.

* * *

**January 4- One Day later**

**Titan Tower-Evening**

**Flash POV**

I can't believe I'm here. Yesterday I was in Gotham greeting Robin as he landed his Pod in the Batcave, now I'm at Titan Tower becoming a temporary replacement in the Titans. It's exciting yet scary, I never imagined that I would be living in Jump City for a while. Right now I'm in the common room playing a video game with Beast Boy; he's so tense for some reason though. I don't understand it! Usually when people are around me they get happy, I have that effect on people. Before I can comment on it he beats me at the game and I swear out loud.

He jumps up. "Oh! I beat you! What'cha gonna do about it?" He taunted and threw the remote down.

A creepy voice crept up from behind me and I jumped literally ten feet in the air. "Can you keep it down? I'm trying to calm my emotions before Jinx gets here." Raven says.

My heart skips a beat and I whip my head around. "WHAT?" I yell, causing her to wince slightly.

She glares at me and I feel like she's reading my soul. "I need to meditate openly before Jinx arrives, problem?" She asks nosily.

I sigh and put my remote down. "Jinx and I have a history." I say nervously. I've only been here a couple hours and I have a feeling I won't be here for too long with Jinx around.

Raven raises her eyebrows and shrugs like she doesn't care. She walks casually out of the room and Beast Boy tenses. He turns into a tiny bird and flies out of the room going in the opposite direction. Something was bothering him all day I think I just found out. I drop my head in shame, knowing well that my stay at the Titan tower is going to be literal hell. I feel like running back to Gotham and slapping Robin in the face with a chair. An upset Beast Boy and Raven meant trouble; having Jinx sauntering around the Tower meant Satan was probably rising.

The common room doors swish open and my heart stops. Cyborg walks in with Jinx at his side, she's smiling and giggling about something and holding her suitcase in on hand. I've never seen anyone so beautiful in my entire existence, my memories flash back and I feel insanely saddened and guilty. Her pink eyes are more defined than before and her pink hair is hanging loosely around her face. Her hero uniform is different; it's now spandex with stripes of purple down the sides, her spandex shorts are showing an amazing portion of her legs which are covered in fishnet tights. Her eyes scan the room before landing on me, once they do she freezes.

"Uh, hey." I say stupidly.

She shakes her head and turns to Cyborg. "Why didn't you tell me he would be here?" Her voice drips like acid.

Cyborg holds his hands up in defense looking quite guilty and frazzled. "Robin said we'd need both of you, but he gave me specific orders not to let you know about each other until now." He takes a couple of feet back fearfully and her eyes flicker to me.

"I'm going to have a serious talk with him." She looks at me when she says it and I can feel her hate radiating off of her.

Cyborg chuckles nervously. "I think I'm going to go contact the Justice League to let them know Titans Tower is fully staffed, I'll leave you two here to catch up." He quickly exits the room, literally skirting around the steaming pink girl in front of me.

I jump over the couch and I nervously clap my hands together. "Well, this is awkward!" I say too enthusiastically.

She rolls her eyes and turns to leave, which completely stuns me. "Wait! Where are you going?"

She doesn't turn around but grunts. "I'm going to my guest room; you have a problem with that?" Her voice still drips like acid but after my two years of living with her before I'm quite used to it, I actually missed her voice. Her snarky remarks and smugness was my favorite thing to come home to.

"No, I thought you just might like to talk." I say with a tiny bit of sadness in my voice.

She turns around her eyes wide with credulity. "Why the hell would I want to talk to you?" She asks loudly, almost shouting. She was ready to fight I could tell, but I'm not much of a fighter.

I shrug feeling slightly intimidated. "I miss you." I say but it sounds more like a question. I mentally curse myself for being so indecisive.

She laughs; the sound of it makes me yearn to hug her again. "You miss me?" She asks with sarcasm leaking from her voice.

"Yeah, I miss you. I've always felt bad for what I did to you." I say sadly. "Do you miss me?" I ask quietly.

The sarcasm and smarminess leaves her expression and she turns frighteningly serious. She drops her suitcase and walks towards me, her spandex outfit is tempting me to reach out and squeeze her. She stops a couple inches from me and her pink irises stare dazzlingly at me, she's more beautiful than I remember. She places a hand on my chest and my insides melt, I'm feeling like a starstuck fan girl now.

Her voice carries like velvet. "Let me get one thing straight, I will never be yours again. How could I miss a spoiled, arrogant, inconsiderate piece of garbage like you?" She removes her hand and crosses her arms.

I sigh in defeat, she's always been known to stir unwanted but wanted feelings in men; especially me. "I told you how sorry I was, why don't you give second chances?" I ask with too much yearning in my voice.

She makes eye contact with me and smiles sadly. "Second chances are unlucky." She walks away from me and grabs her suitcase. She saunters out of the common room making me feel confused and inadequate. She was my everything and I lost her out of my own selfishness and indecisions. I'm starting to think being part of this team is going to be harder than I originally thought.

* * *

**January 4- Midnight**

**Raven POV**

I pace around my room quite frustrated and agitated. I haven't been able to meditate for almost an entire day! I feel like killing a tree with acid! My brain is buzzing with a million thoughts and I'm feeling more emotions than I ever have. I don't know what's wrong with me. Books start flying off my bookshelf and I try to use my powers to reorganize them. My dark energy feels lessened and sudden panic surges through me like fire. Why is this happening?

I sit down on my bed and start to think about my current actions to other teammates and people in general. I was nice to Robin before he left; I even bothered to talk to Flash today! I take a deep breath and think deeper, I think about the last thing that infuriated me. My memory opens up to me and shows me an image of Beast Boy. I sigh; I didn't want to think about my fight with Beast Boy. We always have fights but my conscious mind is telling me that this fight was even deeper than that. Maybe it wasn't right for me to call him out on his minor flaws when mine are so much bigger and deeper than his. Maybe he was justified in his argument, but was it hurtful to not only him but me? Yes. I rub my face angrily knowing what I must do to gain inner peace again. I must apologize to him.

I stand up and head to his room, I know its midnight but this needs to be done. I have to not only for me, but for him also. I don't know why I was so out of control with my words, maybe it was the fact that he wants to change himself. He doesn't have a choice but it seems like he's sick of who he has become. I personally appreciate and admire who he's become; I shake my head immediately refusing to think that way.

I approach his room quickly and I tense up, ripping the carpet below my feet. I knock on his door slowly, making sure not to knock too loudly. I hear nothing and I knock again, he's a tough sleeper but I thought he would at least wake up to rapid beating on his door. I roll my eyes and type in his code. The door swishes open and I realize he's not in there.

A small amount of fear swishes through me and I immediately calm myself, maybe some tea would help me. I head to the common room and as the door swishes open I spot a green head of hair, he turns to face me and I flush slightly. "Hey" I say softly.

He nods at me and takes a sip of water from his glass. He's in a t-shirt and a pair of pajama pants. I feel suddenly naked as I walk by him to boil some water for tea; I'm wearing a tank top with yoga pants.

He stirs slightly and shuffles his feet. Before I can say anything he does. "I'm sorry." He whispers.

I whip around and face him, studying him closely. "I was about to say the same thing." I say quietly, surprised slightly that he was the first to say it.

His face reflects a large amount of surprise and it makes me feel worse about the way I treat him. He looks at me for the first time in a while and I feel all those same emotions ripple through me; sadness, anger, mistrust, and grief. "I should've never said what I did. I didn't mean any of it, it's driving me crazy." I say loudly, my powers knocking over a bowl of fruit in the process.

"What's driving you crazy?" He says curiously.

"This guilt!" I yell and my water instantly boils. I gratefully pour it into a mug and steep a tea bag.

Beast Boy smirks. "You look like a mess, I'm glad."

I glare at him. "You're glad I look like a mess?" I ask with slight anger in my voice.

"I'm glad you're feeling something for someone other than yourself. Your messed up hair and haggard face says so." He steps closer to me and I feel better, my powers are slowly sinking back into their rightful place.

I sigh deeply. "I just want you to know that I'm sorry and I never meant any of those things, if it makes you feel any better I felt awful and haven't meditated since." I take a deep breath and touch my head self-consciously. "I think my hair might need a trim."

He grins; which melts away all my hard feelings. "I'm sorry too; I think I stepped out of line. You don't deserve to be criticized." His green eyes sparkle at me and my insides feel slightly weaker; strange. "I think your hair looks fine, I like it when it's longer than your shoulders, now you can put it in cute ponytails." He grins goofily.

I sip my tea and feel the bergamot mellow out my senses, it slithers down my throat and the smoothness of the water warms up my arms and abdomen. "I'm glad that's settled, and I don't do cute." I whisper into the steam rising from the tea mug.

He looks at me in a funny way. "Can we hug on it?"

I almost choke on my tea. "What?" I ask.

"Can we hug on it? To ensure that there are no hard feelings?" He smiles and I don't feel like answering him. He answers for me and moves toward me swiftly, I tense up automatically but he doesn't notice.

He's inches from me and I just stare into his green eyes. I barely notice him remove the mug out of my hand. His eyes pierce into mine and I feel something completely new, something completely foreign. I can't put my finger on it but I'm frozen, he knows that I'm not much of a hugger, he knows that I don't like physical contact so why is he doing this? This is probably another vain attempt to pull me out of my dark spaces, he loves doing that to me. As his arms slip around me and my arms slip around him I feel comfortable. I've never been one to feel comfortable with touching people, but this time I feel relaxed. A couple chairs tip over but nothing explodes, making me feel at ease. I don't know how long we're embraced together but I don't let go for minutes more. Once I do he looks at me with a serious expression.

"Are you going to help me?" His voice is husky and convincing.

For a moment I have no idea what he's talking about and I feel lost temporarily. My mind flickers back to his 'cure' announcement and realization dawns on my face, only slightly. "Yes I will. We'll make a plan tomorrow." I say in my monotone voice.

His face lights up and joy sprinkles through his emotions. "You're the best Rae." He kisses me on the cheek which results in another chair tipping over. He jogs out of the room excitedly and I sigh, relieved for some reason. I sometimes feel like he teases me with his charm and seductiveness to force me to lose control; he knows what effect he has on me. If he's going to play that game, I might as well also. I finish my tea and teleport to my room to meditate; this time I have no problem and I think of some great revenge as I float around in my calm and peaceful mind.

* * *

**January 5**

**Gotham City- Wayne Manor**

**Robin POV**

Bruce stares at me and frowns, his usual address to me. I sit still and stare at him even more intently. As of now I'm sitting in his large dark office in front of his large dark brown and brass desk that he conducts most of his business with.

"I'm going to ask you one more time," He says seriously. "What is your dilemma?"

I sigh angrily and rub a hand over my face. "My problem is that you're telling me that I can't be Robin anymore. What gives? You adopt a new boy great, but he's only 16! Do you really think he can handle all of that responsibility? Being Robin is a tough job." I say angrily.

Bruce takes a sip from his scotch glass, it annoys me how he drinks during the day and constantly shows how sober he is. "I trained him myself, Richard. I believe he is ready to take your position." He says matter of factly.

I sigh again to prove my point. "He's not good enough!" I shout.

Bruce sits up a little straighter. "Prove it, take him on patrol tonight; have Babs join you."

I rub a hand over my eyes and stand up. "You're very inconsiderate, I hope you know that." I say hoping to tug on his cold heart strings.

Bruce looks at me coldly; my comment has no effect on him. "You and I are the same. I create an entire new persona for you that the alien girl predicted those many years ago and you won't even look at it?" He scoffs. "That's pathetic; you should be Nightwing now, not Robin the boy wonder. Man up Dick."

I look at him angrily; my eyes that I usually keep covered portray my angered emotions towards him. "Fine, I'll become Nightwing. If that's what you really want, I just want you to know that you can never take credit for his discovery, Starfire created this." I say as I walk out of the door.

Before I leave Bruce says something that will forever stay with me, something that will keep me awake tonight. "She's gone forever, love is an illusion and it's an excuse for feeling lonely."

The door slams and I storm down the hallway, I ponder his words and they echo in my mind. I'm starting to really miss Jump City.

* * *

**January 5**

**Tamaran- The Holding Cells**

**Starfire POV**

My eyes peel open and I taste blood in my mouth. There is no light where I am and my limbs feel weak and tired. I believe it has been days, and I have been in and out of consciousness. My head feels extremely heavy and hurts like a bor'lhigton'. The last thing I remember was yesterday when Karras entered this dark room, he unleashed three different guards on me and they beat me senseless. Now my powers are unreachable and are going to be a pain to recharge. This is not how I remember Tamaran. It was brutal before, but it was never this bad. Karras has proven to me that his leadership and capabilities are only designed by brute force and anger. He leads by fear not love of the people. He will never have loyalty but terror and revolt against his name. Acid crawls up my throat and I regurgitate the only acid left in my ninth stomach. That was all I had left and I believe that I am going to die of starvation.

My decision to come back here was misjudged. I should have never wanted to come back to this retched place; I am at fault for being in this situation. I am too trusting and I miss the City of Jump immensely. I feel more tears that I did not realize I had in me slip down my cheeks. I cry for my lost planet, I cry for the home of sickness I am feeling for Earth, and finally I cry out the name of the one man I have loved for years that can save me from this horrid situation; Robin.

Someone must have heard me because the door to whatever chamber I am in opens revealing a triangle of light that burns my senses; I need sunlight and am craving it immeasurably so my body reacts to any discreet lighting I see.

I hear his footsteps and sense his presence before he talks. "Judging by your current state you are hungry, are you not?" His voice carries his pleasant state and I am starting to feel even sicker with him around.

I open my mouth to speak but his hand cracks across my Tamaranian skin. I taste blood in my mouth and my lip is torn open, dabbles of warm fluid drip down my chin. I look up at his evil eyes and face, he is smirking. "What do you want from me?" I say in a gravelly voice that could rival Raven's.

"You should not have come back; you are weak for doing so." He ignores my previous question and it infuriates me.

I do not have time for beating around of the bushes. "WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME?" I scream at him in my thick Tamaranian language. I am tired, cold, hungry, and in intense pain. I do not wish to die like this, but all I want is to be put out of my misery.

He looks at me like he was reading my thoughts and his face reflects not an ounce of remorse but satisfaction. "I did this to you to prove that I am the one in charge. Do you wish to live or die?" His voice is eerily calm and makes me think of the worst possible things that he might do to me.

I stare at him spitting a wad of blood on his golden studded boot. "What type of question is that?" The attitude in my voice mocks his leadership and embarrasses him I hope.

Another slap ricochets across the same cheek and this time tears fall from my swelling eye. More blood wells up in my mouth and I can feel my body weakening. I suck up my pride and look him dead in the eye once again. "I wish to live, are you happy?" I scream at him in agony and rage.

He grabs my chin and I can smell his callous breath brushing against my injured face. "I want to make you a deal."

I feel my eyes widen and I try to sit up straighter, to me it sounds like a way out I will agree to anything he throws at me. All I want is to run back to Earth, I want to live the life of freedom again.

He smirks at my eagerness. "I want an heir to the throne, the only way for that to happen is with a wife. I am forcing you to marry me, if you say no you will die right here." His jaw clenches in amusement and my insides twist up in fury and disgust. He wants to force me in love with him.

I am careful not to open my mouth but I nod slowly as tears spill down my cheeks. I want to threaten him and fire up my starbolts, but I am too weak to fight back. I am too weak to destroy him; I have failed myself and my planet. I am ashamed, maybe this is what I deserve.

* * *

A/N: There it is! Duh duh DUH! Thank you for reading everyone! I have a question though; WHERE IS EVERYONE? I expected more reviews and at least a couple more follows than THIS?! Please let me know you're out there. Your input means everything to me. About the other characters in this story, I know that a lot of you are here for the RobStar fest, AND LET ME TELL YOU ITS COMING! But other arcs help tie into the Teams' decisions as a whole and the final RobStar arc that will make your insides BLEED! You'll understand once your minds fall out of your heads.

Please follow, favorite, AND **REVIEW!**

Next Chapter: What is Starfire going to do about Karras? What's going on in Raven's head? We take a trip with Richard and crew for his nighttime patrol. AND additives to the Flash and Jinx DRAMA! Bet you can't wait. (If you're bored just wait the action is coming!)

Chapter name Explanation: I named this chapter 'The Limits of the Inhuman Soul' because I wanted the readers to get a sense of how inhuman Karras and Batman seem because of their lack of emotions. That's going to play a key role in this story later on. Karras is an extreme case but still, him and Bats both seem to have a lack of Inhuman emotions because of their untimely and unintended pasts.


	5. The Introduction of Vincent Bellerose

To Miss Geek: 1) Glad you liked it, definitely keep reading. 2) I know right?! Her body type was SO perverted. I threw the book away after. I hate what they did to her and if I ever meet the creators I will slap them in the face with pancakes.

A/N: Sorry about the long awaited update, I had Nutcracker rehearsals for dance and I'm as tired as flying cats! Thank you for the reviews! I love all of you, this story is only five chapters in and I'm already getting goose bumps from what I have planned for the next five chapters. Prepare your bodies and souls; this is going to get intense! BEWARE! This chapter is dedicated to RobStar243 (you're awesome). Enjoy the chapter…

"We gain strength, and courage, and confidence by each experience in which we really stop to look fear in the face... we must do that which we think we cannot." Eleanor Roosevelt

* * *

**January 5**

**Batcave-Nighttime before Patrol**

**Robin POV**

This is all so new for me; I don't like it at all. Batman has already sent out word of a new hero in Gotham, but I never imagined that I would be feeling this much anticipation. The new suit is tight but made out of very flexible material. The chest area is bullet proof but the rest of it is not, which worries me but it's not something I'm not used to. I feel a hand touch my shoulder and I look to my right, its Babs.

She's in a new Batgirl outfit that fits her perfectly, her smile is bigger than the moon and her eyes sparkle. "Ready for your first night out Nightwing?" She asks cheerily.

I sigh and check my weapon belt one last time. "I guess so; I just wish change wasn't happening so soon." I was insinuating more but Babs never catches onto subtle hints. I clear my throat and straighten my chest; I'm prepared for what the night has to bring me. "Where's Jason?" I look around.

"I'm here!" He says and runs into the Batcave to greet us. He has a huge smile on his face and the Robin uniform is gracing his presence. "The party can start now." He says with a smirk.

Babs rolls her eyes. "Can you stay serious for one night?" She asks with a joking tone in her voice.

He saunters over to her and tugs on her red hair. "Never can and never will." Jason laughs as she swats his hand away.

Babs looks at him in his uniform. "Something's different about you." She says apathetically. "I can't put my finger on it."

She looks at me and I shrug. "His hair?" I ask, obviously not up for simple conversation at this moment.

Babs snaps her fingers and ruffles his once perfectly smooth hair. "You dyed it black!" She laughs and he pushes her hands away.

"If I'm going to be Robin I have to play the part." He smiles and I sigh.

"If you're going to play the part of Robin, no smiling. Be a leader and not a follower, also when we're out there if you disobey any of my commands your short hero life will be over before you even knew it began." I say dramatically, I can't stand the idea of lugging Jason behind. He does idiotic things at home, who knows what he'll do on patrol.

Jason's eyes harden and he stares blankly at me. "Scared I'll outshine you brother?" His tone is dark, and it deters me slightly. Something about the way he said it makes my mental alarm go off. I ignore it and cast a quick glance at Babs.

I rub a hand over my face; his immaturity is intoxicating to be around. "Put in your earpieces and get to Main Street South. Police said that there might be a gang war there tonight. I'll be at the intersection of Main and Broad 5 blocks away. Stay hidden and use rooftops only." I shove my earpiece in and run out the exits of the Batcave leaving them behind in my dust. I needed a good head start anyways; this was always my favorite time of the night, the escape into the darkness.

I jump on my black motorcycle; the 'R' cycle is in Jason and Bab's possession now. It rumbles beneath me and I zoom into the night. The air is thick but the sky is beautifully clear, I can see so many stars but by the time I reach the inner City they're blocked out by the cruel streetlamps. I place my bike in an alley and turn on the camouflage; to an outsider it looks like a chained up rusted bicycle, only I know its true identity. I find the easiest set of stairs I can find and climb to the roof of an apartment building; I rest on the ledge and look out at the dark and violent City.

Gotham is very dangerous; the criminals are almost always one step ahead of the heroes. Thankfully this City is not depended on one hero, if so then it would be doomed. So many gangs and drug dealers moved into this City because of its difficult and controversial leadership roles. The mayor and his council are complete asshats and they don't keep track of their police task force at all. Batman and I sometimes argue whether or not they're also involved in the drug business. He always tells me no, but I beg to differ. Before I can think about this any longer my earpiece buzzes with a voice. I turn the volume up. _"Repeat that." _I say.

"_Get to Main Street South…FAST!" _Bab's voice is rushed and she sounds out of breath, we've barely been out for fifteen minutes!

"_I'll be there soon."_ I answer back but all I hear is static. I grunt in frustration and propel myself off of the rooftop. I jump from building to building; I do a couple somersaults and flips so I don't over exert myself by just running. I end up on South Main in five minutes; slightly panting. I look down the building shaft and into a wide parking lot. It is eerily lit by one streetlamp and underneath it swarms darkly dressed people surrounding Batgirl and Robin. "Shit." I whisper.

I swoop into action taking out my Eskrima Sticks from their hatches. They make a definitive click sound and I quickly scale the building, I jump off a window ledge and front flip into the center of the crowd where Robin and Batgirl are. The crowd immediately begins their assault. My team moves into action and I smash a villain's face in with my Eskrima stick. They attempt to pummel me with punches and kicks I block them using my sticks to disable their joints. Cracking sounds fill my ears as I smash someone's back into the ground. I backflip and land between Babs and Jason, Jason is randomly throwing Bird grenades into the crowd and I feel my mental tolerance explode in rage.

"Batgirl, Robin fall back!" I yell.

They look at me quizzically and disable a few more behemoths before disappearing into the night. As I run towards an alley the behemoths follow me. I throw a gas grenade and they stop, I hear their coughs and sputters as I scale a building and land lithely on the rooftop. I jump to another building and another until I'm far enough away. I sigh in aggravation, my head is aching me and I'm pissed. Before I have time to contact Batgirl she appears on the building, panting heavily.

"You run really fast." She says as she coughs slightly.

Jason is behind her coughing into his elbow. "What a fight!" He exclaims happily and claps his hands together.

I turn to him my eyes burning with anger. "What the hell happened back there?" I shout at them.

Batgirl puts up her hands in defense. "We saw a large group of thugs congregating in an alley, a truck pulled up and they all crowded around it. They looked very suspicious, I was about to call you when boy blunder over here jumps in and tries to stop them HIMSELF." She gestures Robin.

I walk over to him. "You could've endangered everyone! What the hell did I say about contacting me before jumping into action? What the hell is wrong with you? And why the hell were you using birdarangs? You're only supposed to use those in individual attacks or for quick getaways!" I shout.

He exhales nonchalantly. "I knew what I was doing!" He chuckles. "I think I'm pretty good at handling the bad guys, don't get your panties in a bunch."

His attitude is ticking me off and I feel like propelling him off a rooftop. I take a deep breath. "You are ROBIN, you do NOT start fights. You're supposed to RESOLVE them. You could've gotten yourself killed, you were surrounded! Did Bats teach you anything?" I ask him.

His smirk still seizes to fade which only infuriates me further. "He taught me how to fight; I'm only here to protect Jump City. Not take orders from a Batman wannabe."

I stare at him and a noise buzzes in my ear. I press my earpiece. "What's going on?" I ask.

"_Nightwing, where are you?"_ It's Bruce and I rub a hand over my face.

"_We're on South Main Street, where are you?" _I ask, hoping we could have an easy night.

His voice is fuzzy so I know we're going somewhere farther into the City. _"I'm near the old warehouse on Makeshift Avenue, get here fast there's someone we need to interrogate. Batman out."_ His line goes dead and I feel the impending exhaustion creeping up on me.

I look at Batgirl and Robin. "This time follow fucking orders." I point at Robin sternly and he nods. "Batman is on Makeshift Avenue near the old paper warehouse, get there fast." I say and run towards where I left my motorcycle, I hate confrontational beat downs but the guy Bruce has might give us some gang related information.

They go the opposite way and I breathe a sigh of relief, the Titans were so much better at listening and following orders. I just hope I can mold them into what the Titans were. Before I can climb down the stairs of a building to reach my bike in the alley I hear the click of a gun. I whip my head around, birdarangs sliding from their pockets on my wrist. I ready my aim and I hear a chuckle, a loud carious sound that reflects and echoes in the night air. The hairs on the back of my neck stand and I squint my eyes in the darkness trying to find a figure. He steps out into the moonlight, a bowler hat addressing his head. He's flipping a coin and smoke is drifting up from underneath his hat. His face is hidden by the popped collars on his black jacket. He's wearing regular dress pants that look pressed and clean, his black suede shoes are clean and sparkling. The man doesn't look like the average villain. "Who are you?" I breathe threateningly, careful to watch his every step like I was trained to do.

He chuckles again, and I notice the revolver in his hand. It's black and big, definitely something that was bought on the illegal black market in Gotham. "You must be Nightwing!" He exclaims happily. "I've been so worried that the rumors weren't true!" He chuckles again, and it makes me feel sick. If this man thinks he has any chance against me he's mistaken, I'm nearly twenty times stronger than him and he is outnumbered if you count my stamina. Plus he's making me angry by holding me up.

"Who are you?" I ask again, still unmoving from my stance. His gun is still pointed at me, which bothers me immensely.

He grunts then spits out the stub of what I assume to be his cigarette. "My name is Vincent Bellerose, but you can call me Vinnie. I own the mob now in Gotham." He says casually, not caring about giving his name away like he did.

I knew about mob activity in Gotham but it was common knowledge about who owned it, Tommy Dario. He was usually on our to do list, but never caused us any trouble. His main origin of interest was the monetary feuds in the lower district of the City. "What happened to Dario?" I grumble.

Bellerose snorts. "Dario sleeps with the fishes, for good now. He was doing a sucky job anyways." His gun still remains pointed at me in his hand. Bellerose's accent is thick, he must be a foreigner.

"What do you want Bellerose?" I hiss, ready to cuff this guy.

He chuckles again. "I told you to call me Vinnie; I would heed my commands if I were you." He sneers.

I resist smirking. "Maybe you didn't hear all the rumors." I say sarcastically. "I don't heed anyone's orders, especially from scum like you." I say to piss him off to move this standoff a little faster.

Bellerose throws his head back. "Oh, we have a comedian!" He chuckles extremely loud; his bellows throatily sound intoxicating in the chilly Gotham air. "Scum, eh? Trust me you haven't seen _real_ scum, have you ever been to the Strip Club down on Fifth Ave? Now that's real-" He starts.

I cut him off as I throw a birdarang at his hand to disable his shooting hand. He dodges it extremely fast and I hear another click from behind me. My heart quickens and I realize that he said 'we' earlier meaning that he wasn't truly alone tonight. I am being played. I turn around slowly reaching into my utility belt to ready my Eskrima Sticks. Directly behind me another person in identical clothing as Bellerose is holding the same weapon, his arm is perfectly aimed at my head. As I feel the stick flick out of its holster Bellerose chuckles once again.

"I don't think so Nightwing! Move one muscle and its lights out. Right boys?" He asks into the nighttime air.

I suddenly hear more clicks, dozens, and I reach to my earpiece to call for backup.

"Nope that won't work either; we intercepted all static waves here using a device I like to call a fucker upper." Bellerose looks around and I hear loads of chuckles. I may not be able to see them but I can hear them, if I can aim a birdarang in a diagonal direction maybe I can take them all out.

I clench my fists. "What do you want Bellerose?" I ask with a calm tone, ready to negotiate then fight.

He shrugs his shoulder. "I want to send Batman a message, an important one."

"What is it?" I ask again.

Bellerose takes a step towards me angling his body so he's ready to shoot. "I'm going to be taking over this City; I don't want his team getting in my way." His accent is thick and angry, his joking tone is gone.

I immediately whip out my Eskrima Sticks, they snap into place giving me reassurance and the confidence to keep going. "No one is taking over Gotham on my watch." I say intimidatingly.

I may not be able to see his face but I have a feeling he's smiling. His confident and cocky attitude is wearing on my restraint. "I knew you were going to say that so I prepared something for you, go ahead boys!" He shouts.

I whip around and I hear the gunshots. I'm instantly pelted; my back, legs, neck, and arms suddenly feel like they're on fire. I fall to the ground, the world spinning out of proportion as my head slams on the ground. It feels like my veins are on fire, it's prickly and my vision blurs. I'm numb and I try to get to my feet, I cough and spit up blood for no apparent reason. I don't think I was hit with bullets but with poison, I don't understand. Before I can yell for help or even try to fight back I feel a hand flip me over onto my back. It's Bellerose and this time I can see his face. It's disfigured and bruised badly, his mouth is plastered on his cheek and one of his eyes has an eye patch, the other one is blood red.

He looks at me and his skin stretches into what I think is a smile. "Tell Bats that there's a new villain in town, his name is Vinnie Bellerose. He can call me Vinnie." He stands and aims his gun at my chest, by this time all I can do is close my eyes, I'm paralyzed and stiff there's no way I can fight him off. He shoots but this time it isn't a poison dart, it's a bullet and I feel it in my skin. I scream into the night air as he chuckles and disappears with his group. I blackout and the last thing I remember seeing is a smiling face with green eyes and red hair, she's radiant and her warmth and presence takes away the pain instantaneously. A cold wetness engulfs me and I feel like I'm floating.

* * *

**January 5**

**Titan Tower-Morning**

**Normal POV**

Cyborg hummed quietly to himself and tossed a handful of bacon into the pan. The toaster popped and he gladly threw piping hot pieces of toasty bread on a plate with another couple pieces. This was his favorite time at the Titan tower, breakfast. He could make as much food as he wanted without thinking about his duties or the troubles of being leader. It still didn't sink into him fully though, his brain continuously wandered in the secondary position. He shrugged, eventually he would get used to it, hopefully not before it was too late.

The common room doors slid open and Beast Boy along with Kid Flash ambled in. Beast Boy's eyes immediately lit up at the imminent smell of meat wafting in the air. "Metal man, what gives?" He huffed as he watched Cyborg take a bite out of a piece of hot bacon.

"Mmm, grass stain, you should try this!" Cyborg said to aggravate Beast Boy even more.

Beast Boy crossed his arms. "I would never eat a poor harmless animal like that!" He shouted.

Flash cleared his throat and raised his hand. "Um, do you two do this every morning? How old are you now?" He asked with a chuckle.

Cyborg narrowed his eyes. "Oh, look who's talking." He ripped open another pack of bacon and tossed it on the stove top. It sizzled and Flash's eyes grew.

"That looks really good, I'm not gonna complain. BB you're alone on this fight." He said as he rubbed his hands together.

Beast boy groaned and pulled out a box of cereal. "You're lucky I'm not calling PETA!" He remarked. Flash and Cyborg laughed collectively.

Flash looked around. "Where are the girls?" He asked. His eyes suddenly lit up. "Can I go get them?" He smiled widely.

Beast Boy and Cyborg exchanged glances. "No." They both said together.

He instantly frowned. "Why not?" Flash wined.

Beast Boy laughed. "Dude, you're twenty two, are you wining?"

Flash shrugged. "Yes I am." He crossed his arms. "Why can't I go get them, I'm pretty sure I could scare Raven into the next dimension." He snickered as Beast Boy chuckled.

Cyborg huffed. "I'm pretty sure she would throw you out of the tower windows."

"I'm pretty sure she would kill you." The green changeling added.

"Am I that predictable?" A monotone voice echoed from the doorway. Raven and Jinx entered the common room and the boys became very silent.

Jinx put her hands on her hips. "What's wrong?" She asked innocently.

Flash pointed at them. "You both have new costumes?" He squeaked.

Raven nodded and looked at Beast Boy. Instead of her usual leotard and purple cloak she wore black. Her bottom half consisted of her usual red and gold pendent belt but attached to it was two long pieces of fabric; one covering her backside and one covering her front side. Her hips were left completely exposed. Her bare and toned stomach led up to her string bikini top, the design fanned out like feathers. Her cloak was attached with two of her pendants. Her feet were covered with her black boots and her hands were gloved and more pendants decorated them. The only thing left purple was her hair; it was now slightly longer than her shoulder. She rolled her eyes. "It was time to put the purple away and try something a little different." She said as she pulled up her hood and walked further into the kitchen.

The boys remained silent. Jinx sighed. "Are you guys okay?" Flash continued to stare at her. She was wearing purple striped spandex shorts; her top had purple stripes also and only ended beneath her ribcage. Her long legs were covered with black fishnet tights and ballet flats; her hair was in dry curls hanging around her face.

Beast Boy dropped the cereal box as Raven brushed past him to make tea.

Cyborg coughed awkwardly; "Well I guess they were justified to change their costume a little. This is a new time in our lives; we should touch up our outfits a little." He smiled and continued to make breakfast.

Beast Boy wandered over to Raven he looked at her for a moment without her noticing. She seemed like the normal Raven, he poked her cheek to make sure. She glared at him and poured hot water in a mug.

"What do you want?" She asked with an equal amount of interest in her voice.

Beast Boy sighed. "This may sound crazy, but you're not Raven. You're a copy of her." He said in a serious tone.

Raven brushed past him again. "Go away Beast Boy." She said.

He frowned and then smiled. "Maybe I miss calculated."

Jinx giggled and looked at Cyborg. "Are they always like this?"

Cyborg nodded. "It will drive you crazy in a few days."

Flash went up to Jinx and poked her cheek. She glared at him as he smiled sweetly. "Won't work on me Wally." She said.

The Tower monitor suddenly beeped. A phone symbol popped up and Cyborg dropped what he was doing. He rushed over to the monitor and accepted the call. "Titan Tower, how may we assist you?" He answered in an authoritative tone.

A stoic face that millions new about around the world appeared, Batman. His cowl was on and his mouth was set into a deep frown. His disproving look dropped the tone of the Tower within seconds. "I have some alarming news." He said gruffly.

Cyborg frowned. "My team is here to assist as needed, what happened?"

Batman frowned even deeper. "Nightwing was injured badly. We cannot take him to a regular doctor without the media being nosy, we need a healer. We need Raven."

Raven stepped forward a little. Cyborg looked at her and back to Batman. "How was he injured and how did it happen?" He asked with a measurable amount of worry in his tone.

"Bullet wound and hallucinogen in his system, we found him on the roof of a building. He hasn't woken up since and we fear the toxin they put in him will kill him." Batman voice carried around the room at a projectable pace but underneath it you could hear his tender sadness. "We don't know who's responsible."

Flash stepped forward. "What about the City? Who's protecting it?" He stepped into the camera view and Batman nodded his head.

"Robin and Batgirl." He stated.

Flash chuckled and slapped his knee; everyone looked at him with disapproving eyes. "Bats are you serious? I understand that Batgirl can hold her own, but ROBIN?" He laughed some more, only he could bring humor into grim situations. "Yeah you need our help."

Batman rubbed a hand over his cowl. "Who's there to protect Jump City?"

Cyborg pressed a couple buttons and typed out a message. "Aqualad will be here in a couple hours, he'll watch the City for us. We'll be there in 6 hours. Titans out." He pressed the button and Batman's face disappeared off the screen. He looked at his team and sighed.

Beast Boy coughed. "So I'm assuming that Robin is now Nightwing?"

Cyborg nodded and looked at Flash. "Did you have to laugh during that? A family member of ours is in critical condition and you LAUGH?" He sighed.

Jinx giggled. "He can never be serious, right Wally?"

Wally frowned. "I can be serious, at times." He shrugged then smiled. He looked at Cyborg. "Okay boss, what's the plan?"

Cyborg frowned. "I've never been to Wayne manor, what's it like?"

Wally shrugged. "It's pretty chill; we don't need to wear disguises. We'll all get our own room." He smiled. "I'll pack my bags!" He zipped out of the room.

Cyborg pressed a button on his arm. "The Titan tower security system is on, we're free to go. Everyone pack your bags we're going to Gotham." Cyborg left the room with Jinx at his side.

Beast Boy looked over at Raven, his eyebrows shot up in surprise as he noticed her hood was down and she was looking at him. He scratched his head nervously. "Are you going to be able to heal Nightwing?"

She nodded softly and began to leave the room. Beast Boy looked at her and grabbed her wrist. "What about our trip?" He said with urgency in his eyes, his hands were becoming rough and his green eyes were increasingly getting darker.

Raven looked at him with sad eyes. "I don't know Beast Boy, there's a lot going on right now and-"

Beast Boy threw down her arm. "Bullshit, I should've never asked you." He stormed out of the common room, brushing past her fiercely.

Raven shivered at his random outburst, something was changing within him. She didn't mean to upset him, but was she really ready to take a life changing trip that could cost them their lives? She didn't know, but she did know one thing, Nightwing needed her help and that was the most important task at hand.

* * *

**January 5**

**Tamaran**

**Starfire POV**

I feel empty, ethereal and emblematic. Right now I am in Karras' chamber sitting on his bed. I am now in royal Tamaran wedding garbs but I do not feel joyous for this matrimonial ceremony. It is rather oblique and forced upon me. My 'wedding' is in eight hours and I am also feeling rather sanctimonious. I thought that my wedding day would be happy and full of joy, it is not and I cannot help but think of a name I have said multiple times in my life, Robin.

Karras said he would leave me alone until our wedding ceremony, it was an easy decision on his part, but I do not have a choice. I am more worried about the tradition of 'jurktha' that we must perform together. Meaning that I must try to become impregnated by him immediately after our ceremony. The only problem with that is my anger and brute strength. I will not stand for Karras coming near me tonight; he will stay a steady nine feet away from me for my own sanity. Through steady thinking and my own predictions however, I believe he will kill me when I do not comply; meaning that this may be my final day living.

Tears suddenly spring from my cheeks and I run to my vanity to gather myself, I do not want to show any of my inner weakness when Karras is around. I want to stand strong and show him that I am not afraid to die. Yes, I will marry him, and then attempt to destroy him in the tradition of 'jurktha'. I am not weak, and I plan on showing my people that tonight.

A knock sounds and my body stiffens. "Who is there?" I say in my thick accent.

"It is I, Karras; I came to wish you happiness before the ceremony." He steps into the room carrying my bag from my Pod.

I try not to show my surprise at the fact that my bag was salvaged. I cross my arms and frown. "Leave me alone."

Karras chuckles and approaches me slowly. "As you wish." He comes closer and grabs my chin forcing my eyes to pierce into his. "But as of eight hours you are in my command." His face moves closer to me and he lick's my cheek. His tongue lingers there for moments more and I try to contain the shudder rippling through me. He looks me dead in the eyes. "You will make a terrible leader, but a wonderful mate." He growls and leaves the room in a rush.

I exhale loudly, holding my stomach as I feel the food I ate earlier crawl its way back up my throat. "Oh, X'hal." I whisper and shudder in disgust.

I look around the room and spot my bag, without thinking I run to it ripping it open and spilling its contents everywhere. The UTC device falls onto my lap and I shake with adrenaline and fear. "Please be there!" I say in a rush.

I press the button and I look at the menu, no one is there. I press the 'Tower' button and the directions read 'leave a message'. I swear in Tamaranian and breathe deeply for a moment before proceeding. I change my dialect to English and speak softly.

"Friends, I want you to know that my short visit to Tamaran will be short lived. I fear that I may never talk to you again, so please listen carefully. By the time you reach this message it may already be too late, but I need you to know that I love you all from the bottom deepest crevice of my heart. I also want you to know that if you ever want to seek revenge, find Karras. He is the reason for everything done to me, he is the reason. Again, I love you all and tell Robin that I will love him for my last eight hours in existence, meaning forever."

I press the send button and release all of my anger and frustration. I power up my eye beams and the walls turn black with soot, they are somehow fireproof and I scream in agony. I throw starbolts at the bed, and it reduces to rubble. Acidic tears slip down my cheeks and I feel so conflicted and broken. Why must I end like this? WHY? I stop my fighting and think deeply for a moment, I have one chance tonight to kill Karras for good. I pray to X'hal that I will succeed.

* * *

A/N: There it is, CHAPTER 5! Woot! If you want to see Raven's sexy new look, go to my profile page and copy and paste the link into your URL bar. This chapter gave me indecisive feelings, I wasn't sure if the Richard POV part was adequate enough, nonetheless I still posted it with minor adjustments. Also, I know this is strictly a POV story, but I needed to write in third person just this once! It felt like a relief to get the Titan's voices out of my head for one scene. I really hoped you all liked it, this chapter is the longest one so far.

Please Follow, favorite, and REVIEW! I love hearing from you!

Next Chapter: 'Jurktha' traditions go into detail *wince*, we find out Nightwing's condition, we find Beast Boy in the craziest predicament, Jinx and Flash have a "serious" discussion, AND the new enemy threatens a certain persons' sanity. Bet you can't wait! See you there.


	6. Rise and Fall

To Miss Geek: 1) I'm glad you're hooked, that was my plan Mwuahah! 2) Haha, yes pancakes are the appropriate punishment for them, the stickiness will linger on the creators for days and they'll cry because of the yeasty smell. (Well, in my head that's what they would do) Haha. I'm sure your punishments were fifty times more intense! Definitely keep reading I really appreciate it!

A/N: Everyone's support is really fueling me. I love you all, and I appreciate your interest as well as your comfort of being there for me. Thank you all! WARNING: This chapter contains a scene that may or may not upset some of my readers. If you do not like it you may skip it, I personally know first-hand what this feels like and writing about it was a difficult task for me.

"Do you wish to rise? Begin by descending. You plan a tower that will pierce the clouds? Lay first the foundations of humility." Saint Augustine.

* * *

**January 5 (Nighttime) **

**Tamaran**

**Starfire POV**

It is done, I am forever bound to the endless matrimonial contract that I have with Karras. He owns me and I am eternally bound to his needs and wants, forever. I salute my fellow Tamaranians as I walk down the pathway leading to the royal palace, the place that I now call prison. They cheer me on, as they all know very well what comes after the marriage of two leaders.

The palace has been cleared so no guards interrupt. My heart is racing as Karras places a hand on my buttocks. The crowd roars appreciatively and my small frame shivers with fear and courage at the same time. The doors to the palace swing open and we salute our nation one last time before the ceremony. As soon as the doors slam Karras looks at me with a dark and threatening gaze.

I bite my lip, another habit I have picked up on Earth. "I have one last request, one tiny request." I say in a small but sturdy voice.

He looks at me quizzically. "Let us not talk, but express passion, get to our room and be prepared for me before I return." He says haughtily as he begins to unravel his royal garbs.

I allow myself to breath for a moment. "I just want to take things slow." I say cautiously, afraid of his wrath and surprise attacks that he has been known to inflict.

He jaw visibly tightens and I know that I must not disobey or object any longer. He glares at me, his face tightening. "You are not authorized to rule this marriage, I control YOU." His voice slightly rises. "Now do what I say and get to the bedroom!" He yells.

I scurry up the stairs and play up my frightened look; little does he know that I have been acting so afraid. My abrupt facial expression is a result of what earthlings would call good 'acting skills'. He does not know my true strength, he does not believe the stories his advisors have told of me. I open the door to my chamber and clamber onto the bed solely.

I quietly ponder on my thoughts and think back to when my life was joyous, and each day felt like pure happiness. Even through my break up with Robin, my pain was not as severe as the fear and indecisiveness that I am feeling now. I peel off my clothes and cover myself up with the covers, the soft silk brings me no comfort, and I feel my body contract in on itself. Neither my body nor my soul wants to do this, so I must be the one to end it, but how?

My thoughts end abruptly as Karras enters the chamber, completely naked. I look away quickly before he notices and I hear the bed creak as he climbs on it. His mouth approaches my neck and I flinch very unnoticeably. "How should I start, Koriand'r?" His hot breath makes me shiver uncomfortably.

I say nothing and stare straight ahead. I am as stiff as a board, nothing he can do will make me open up to him; nothing.

He licks my neck smoothly and growls, it is a primitive sound that makes me want to kill him. Before I know it he is on top of me, his tongue making my neck wet, and his hands are squeezing and touching me in places that are very sexual. By this point I feel very violated and I wait for the opportunity when he is the weakest. His manhood is prodding my hip, and suddenly the air becomes very cold. The silk blanket is gone and I am left exposed.

His eyes widen at the sight of me, he wets his lips and touches my thigh. I take this as my cue and light up my eyes. I feel intense anger bubble up within me and I shoot him in the face. He flies off the bed, falling with a loud thump sound. I jump up and attempt to run out of the room but warm hands close around the back of my neck. I screech and light up my hands.

"Stop the nonsense, Koriand'r!" He shouts.

I spit in his face and kick him right where I know it will hurt. He crumples into a heap, shouting many words in our language. I shoot my bolts at him a couple times, his skin scorching and I smile as he screams in pain. "You will not take the advantage of me, not now, and not ever!" I scream and grab a robe from the back of the door. I pull it on as I run out of the room. I stumble once and find my footing.

I honestly hope he falls unconscious; it would make my leave much easier. I run down the hallways at an invigorating pace, I cannot fly for the immense loss of happiness I am feeling. All I feel is anger, all I feel is deprivation, all I want is to return to my real home and plot my revenge.

As I near the door to where I know my Pod is I hear a noise behind me. My heart quickens and my tiny bit of hope crumbles. I slow my breathing and look around the corner, nothing is there. I hope it was just an act of my mind.

I push open the doors and look around the large expanse of space. My eye spots the outline of my Pod and I run to it, there is a large blanket over it so I yank it off. I suck in a breath as I realize that it is in shambles. The glass is broken, the control panel smashed, the exterior torn to bits. Some parts are even missing. A sob makes its way up my throat and I sink to my knees. I feel the knee skin split open once I hit the pavement like ground. I do not know what to do now, I wrack my brain for another plan and I think back to the Tamaranian fighting ships. The landing area is miles from here, but I might be able to make it, if I try. I stand up and turn around but beady eyes meet mine. I scream in terror and fire starbolts everywhere in the room. The amount I fire is overwhelming; the damage will be hard to clean up. I back up and my spine slams against the derelict Pod.

I stop my assault and calm my breathing. I keep my hands lifted, but I shut down my bolts. I do not know if it was my imagination or real. I swear I saw his eyes, his beady little eyes. I look around the room and begin to cautiously leave from the way I came. Hopefully I can make it to the Landing compound without being noticed. My feet make sticky sounds and my palms are sweaty, I wipe them on the thin robe I am wearing.

As I crack the door open, I peak out carefully. The coast is clear, as Robin would say. I bite my lip, _focus_. I step out into the hallway and tiptoe on the soft carpet. As I descend towards the front of the palace I configure a plan in my mind. I will have to go unnoticed so I will stick to the far side pathways, it will work, it has too. No one uses the far side pathways during this time. As I approach the front doors my heart jumps ten feet into the air, I can make it, I can make it! I finally see the light at the end of the tunnel.

A hand clamps over my mouth and I scream out. I fire up my hands and let loose a tyrant of attacks. I scream even louder and bite down on the hand holding my face. I taste blood and bile in my mouth. I keep shooting and kicking in his arms until I feel something sharp prick my neck. For a moment I pause, my attacker is poking my neck? Fear courses through me as I realize what it is. A syringe. I scream even louder and the behemoth throws me to the ground, I see stars momentarily as my skull thumps harshly.

Karras looks down at me, his naked body fully erected, he is enjoying this. His body is marked with blood, and burn marks. His skin is partially seared on his chest and it brings me a quick moment of joy to know that I was able to inflict pain on him. He smiles and my joy dissipates, maybe he cannot feel the pain. "I just injected you with paralysis poison from the 'Poythras' that live south of here. The venom will not kill you; just paralyze you for a grateful amount of time."

I look down at his feet and notice the syringe, it is empty. I power up my hands and shoot a numerous amounts of beams at him. I fire up my eyes and chase his figure across the room. I lift some furniture that lies in the hallway and throw it at him. It shatters on impact with the floor. His figure emerges from behind it and he's chuckling softly. "I am the fiercest warrior on this planet; I believe I can dodge your botnet hindrances."

My vision blurs slightly and I power up my eyes again. This time I feel my neck ache and no power comes. I scream in frustration. "You will NOT touch me!" I scream again and attempt to throw a shard of the couch at him. My arm gives out halfway through the throw and it flops a couple feet from me.

Karras chuckles louder and approaches me. His eyes are smug, and he is still fully erect from seeing my distress. "I will do as I please, for the simple reason of power. I own you, you are mine. If you do not conceive I will kill you and move on to another worthy bride. This is how things are Koriand'r, so please do not make things more difficult for yourself. Welcome to the tradition of Jurktha." His gaze will forever haunt my deepest nightmares.

I scream as my legs give out on me. I awkwardly slump to the floor, my body ignores my commands and a putrid frustration grows in my chest. I continuously attempt the power up my hands, and the obstacle is impossible. My arms grow limp and soon I cannot feel anything but the tears that trickle down my face. I do not want him to see me cry, but I have absolutely no control over my body. "DO NOT TOUCH ME! I WILL UNLEASH X'HAL'S FURY ON YOU!" I scream, but my voice sounds garbled and soon I cannot talk.

Karras's eyes read pure ecstasy and he kneels down over me, one leg on each side. I whimper, and that brightens the look on his face. "We will bear picturesque children together." He whispers and begins to rub the tender parts of my body. He tears off my robe, and I cannot feel the cold hallway air.

I imagine myself in a different world; I imagine fields of green grass that smells like lemon. I imagine puffy white clouds float over my head. The field is bright and alive with color and at the end of the field is Robin. He is holding a bundle of white flowers for me in his hand, and I run to him. I keep running and running until my lips find his. He hands me the flowers and for a brief moment everything is alright, everything is how I want it to be.

But the moment is over as quick as it came and I feel more hot tears run down my face. I open my eyes and to my horror Karras is still there, panting and grunting. I give up on pursuing happiness; happiness is something that was never likely for a girl like me. I give up and I feel emptiness.

I fall in and out of consciousness; one moment imagining something different and the next I am watching Karras destroy my life. Every time my eyes darken I feel Robin's hand in mine. Longing is the last emotion I feel before I give up for good.

* * *

**January 6**

**Wayne Manor**

**Raven POV**

The ride here was aggravating, and noisy. Flash is just as bad as Beast Boy. He would not shut up the entire time, and I was honestly considering throwing him out of the ship.

Right now he and Beast Boy are exasperating Alfred with questions about Batman as he carries their bags to their rooms. Everyone is in absolute awe of Wayne manor. It is vast and looks like it can continue on for days. The hallways are long and complete with decorative mirrors and tables.

A girl with red hair that reminds me of Starfire smiles at me as I walk up the main staircase. "Welcome to Wayne manor, I'm Babs." She stretches out her hand.

I take it and shake it slowly. "My name is Raven." I say in my usual monotone.

"I'll show you and your pink haired friend where the girls' rooms are." She says and quickly walks down the hall.

I didn't realize Jinx is behind me, but she follows me. Babs turns down a hallway and opens the first door on the left. "This room is for Jinx." She says with a smile.

Jinx tosses her bags in and admires the room. From here the walls look white and the curtains are billowing in the breeze from the early morning.

The door shuts, blocking my view and Babs is already down the hall. She opens a door on the right side of the hallway. It's a dark red color and the bed is covered in dark red blankets. There's a bookcase and a desk, perfect for me. I place my bags down, I'm about to say thank you but she grabs my wrist and drags me down the hallway. "What are you doing?" I ask.

"We have to save Richard, no time to waste." She drags me forward dramatically and I stumble down the steps and down another hallway. Outside one of the doors lining the hall is Batman himself, I know it by the way he stands, even though he wears no mask.

Babs releases me and I sigh. "What's his condition?" I say.

Bruce opens the door. "I think you should see him for yourself." He says quietly.

I walk in quietly and look at the bed he's in. His mask is off and he looks years younger than he actually is. He has no apparent bruising, but his skin is extremely pale, I can see the veins on his eyelids. I press my hands to his heart and release my energy; I feel it expand through his chest cavity and through his ventricular system. I reach towards his neuroma-fissure and I sense the poison, it's a sleep agent that's slowly decaying his body. I gasp and start to absorb the poison. I try to diminish most of it but the way my body heals other beings is usually by absorbing the pain, and brunt of the injury. I feel my hood fall, and I gasp for air as the poison makes its way through my bloodstream. It's stronger than I expected. My body starts to weaken, and I collapse, falling lithely towards the ground. I drained him of the poison; all his body has to do now is heal.

Arms are suddenly around me and I open my eyes. To my surprise Beast Boy is there. I try to scramble out of his arms but he shakes his head. "Are you okay?" He asks.

I nod. "He was filled with a sleep inducing poison that was slowly decaying his body." I exhale a couple times and catch my breath. "I couldn't actually heal him without getting rid of the poison, so I absorbed it into my bloodstream."

Beast Boy's eyes widen. "Why would you do that Rae?" He says with pain in his voice. I ease out of his arms and catch Babs' eyes.

"I can heal faster than him, my body will disintegrate the substance, his body could not. He's only human." I say and look at Richard. He is breathing more steadily now, and his face has some color. I have no idea how Beast Boy got in here, but I shrug it off. Bruce touches my shoulder and I turn to look at him.

"Thank you for saving my son." He says quietly. He leaves the room as Flash enters.

"Is he better yet?" He asks too excitedly.

"No." I say with a drip of annoyance. "He needs rest; he'll be fully healed in about five days. Until then no missions or patrols, it will only induce more pain." I look at Babs and she smiles gratefully.

"Thank you; I don't know what we would've done without you." She says. Flash approaches Richard's side and frowns deeply; I didn't know he had the power to frown. Babs is by his side and they look deeply relieved and saddened.

I nod but the room spins, and I fall into a heap on the floor. Beast Boy lunges forward and picks me up gently. "I think you need time to heal Rae." His green eyes look at me forcefully and I bite my lip. He carries me out of the small hospital room and down the hallway. I look at him closely, trying to read his emotions. My powers are nearly drained so I can't.

"You're not going to snap at me again, are you?" I ask him.

He shakes his head and avoids my gaze. "No, that's what I wanted to talk to you about." His voice is nervous, which makes me feel slightly jittery.

We arrive at my room and he opens the door. Beast Boy gently plops me down on my bed and hands me a water bottle I didn't see earlier. The door behind him clicks shut.

I look at him wearily. "So?" I ask, growing tired of waiting.

He sighs and leans against one of the far walls, the room is huge so he's a good distance from me. He clears his throat. "I wanted to apologize and tell you that, I'm getting worse and that wasn't me." He says.

My eyes widen, and I pull my hood up. "What do you mean?" I ask, even though I already know what he's talking about.

He rubs a hand over his green face and begins to pace. "I'm turning into the Beast. I know it! I feel it in my bones, my muscles, and sometimes he takes over what I say to others." He grunts in frustration. "I can't stand it, and I'm afraid…" He stops walking and looks at me.

"Afraid of what?" I say quietly.

He makes his way over to me and sits on my bed. "I'm afraid of accidentally hurting someone I care about, like you." His eyes stare into my hood, and I swear my heart leaps. I have no idea why he has this effect on me, but I can't stop it willfully.

We sit silently for a moment and an idea sprouts in my head. "What if I could somehow, suppress the Beast until we can make the trip to find Tesla?" I ask.

His eyes light up in apprehension. "How?"

I sigh. "Maybe I could soul search you and just bring more of the guy I know to surface, I would just dig around in your conscience and brain every night until you take the _cure_." My voice hitched on 'cure' and I hope he doesn't notice.

He nods. "Fine, anything to keep everyone safe. I don't think you should tonight though, you're weak enough with healing Nightwing."

I shake my head. "No, tonight would be a good place to start. The only problem is you have to remain calm, and relax. Any sign of trouble or interruption could possibly kill you."

He gulps and I frown. "Tonight then, I'll bring my teddy." He says to lighten the brooding mood.

I smirk at his comment and yawn. "I need to rest, I'll see you tonight."

He nods and leaves; before he does he looks back into the room. "Thanks Rae, you don't know how much this means to me." The door shuts and I close my eyes. Little does he know how much this will take out of me.

* * *

**January 6 (Nighttime) **

**Wayne Manor**

**Richard POV**

_I feel calm and serene, my thoughts are no longer muddled and all I feel is a tranquil happiness around me. I see red hair and I know that I'm at home. My heart skips and I reach out my hands. They meet her soft hair and I turn her over, her face is sleeping, her skin is as soft as silk. I want her eyes to open so I can look into her green irises. I miss them so much, I gently shake her. Trying to wake her up, I shake her again, but her eyes don't even flutter. My heart stops and I place my ear to her chest and listen; no sound. I yell out cradle her in my arms, but it's too late. She's been long gone for hours. Her cold golden skin is not warm but ice cold, I feel sudden guilt roll through me and I sob into her neck. My sobs are muffled and I can't contain the grief I am feeling. I'm shaking all over and I feel a hand on my shoulder. _

"_Nightwing!" Cyborg shouts and I look at him, holding the lifeless Starfire in my arms. "Nightwing!" He shouts again and darkness envelopes me. _

My eyes peel open and I see light everywhere. I sit up quickly. "STARFIRE!" I shout noticing my empty arms. I feel intensely confused until I see a very familiar face.

A hand touches my arm, it's Cyborg. "Nightwing, calm down, it's only me." He says.

My eyes scan the room, and I realize that I was dreaming. "Cyborg, what's going on?"

He smirks. "Glad to see you're awake. You were attacked, we don't know by whom. Batman and his team found you on a rooftop, unconscious. You've been out for a little while. You had some deadly body decaying poison in you, but thankfully Raven healed you." He says as he hands me a glass of water.

I drink it hastily. "Who called you here?" I ask, hoping for an answer that doesn't disappoint me.

"Batman." He says with a smile.

I'm disappointed, but I ignore the feeling as a pain stabs through my head. "Ow, what the hell happened to me?"

"You're going to need a little while to heal; your body took a brutal beating. You got shot, and then the poison weakened your muscles." Cyborg smiles sincerely at me. "I'm glad to see you're alive."

I smile and touch my face; my mask is gone and panic courses through me. "Where's my mask?"

"No idea, don't worry. It's only me; we all know your identity _Richard_." He emphasizes my name and it makes me wince.

A knock sounds from the door. "Come in!" I yell eager to see the rest of my team. To my dismay it's only Babs and Bruce.

Babs rushes towards me and gives me a considerable hug that nearly chokes me. "Babs…enough….I'm….alive!" I breathe as she lets me go.

There are some tears in her eyes along with some anger. "What the hell happened?" She demands.

I sigh and plop my head down on the pillows underneath me. "First off, we need to start keeping track of the mafias ruling in Gotham."

Bruce's eyes widen considerably, meaning he's also been getting signs of trouble brewing between mob bosses. "Is Tommy Dario finally making a move?"

I shake my head and swallow the lump in my throat, I know for a fact that he hates new villains, or problems to deal with. "Tommy Dario is dead; a new guy named Vincent Bellerose now owns the mob. He said to call him Vinnie." I don't know why I said the last part, am I starting to feel intimidated? What a joke. I watch Bruce's expressions change and Cyborg frowns, looking quite uncomfortable in this situation.

"I knew we should've stopped them when we had the chance." Bruce grunts in frustration. "Did he do this to you?"

I nod my head, which spreads more pain through my cranium. "This was his message to you." I gesture myself.

Bruce grunts again. "Does he seem like a serious criminal?"

I swallow again, I don't want Bruce to get the wrong idea and begin attacking the wrong people. "Yes, but we shouldn't draw up the wrong conclusions. We need to be smart and not jump into attacking him." I know I sound too urgent, but we need to be tactful.

Bruce frowns and leaves the room, my anger tickles at the back of my throat and I look at Babs. "What the hell was that?" I ask her.

Babs' eyes look sad. "He doesn't like people messing with his family." She says quietly.

I try to hide the shock in my eyes, but I feel unsuccessful. I clear my throat awkwardly. "Follow him, and make sure there are enough people for patrol tonight." She hugs me one last time and hurries out of the room; Raven enters just as she leaves.

I look at Cyborg and he sighs heavily. "The whole team is here, the City will be fine but you need rest."

Raven lowers her hood and looks at me. "Your muscles are going to be weak for quite some time. So take it easy and allow yourself to heal."

"How long?" I ask with some annoyance in my voice. I don't mean to be rude, but the throbbing in my head is too much for me to handle.

"Five days." She says as she pulls up her hood again.

My anger bubbles over. "Five DAYS? How the hell am I supposed to patrol?" I look at Cyborg and he shakes his head solemnly.

"You need to heal, so the Team is here to help out the new Robin and Batgirl." He smiles at me and I rub a hand over my face.

I sigh heavily and I can feel Raven roll her eyes at me. "Who's going out tonight?" I ask impatiently.

"Robin, Batgirl, Flash, Jinx, Beast Boy, and me." Cyborg says proudly.

Raven suddenly lowers her hood; an alarmed look spreads on her face. "No, Beast Boy is staying here." She says quickly.

The room grows quiet and I look at her in apprehension. "Why?"

For the first time Raven looks flustered, and slight panic courses through me. "Is everything okay?" I ask.

She nods. "He needs to stay here, something is off with him and I need to find out." Her eyes dart from Cyborg's face to mine. I'm not sure if I believe her entirely but who am I to involve myself in more problems when I have enough of my own?

Cyborg shrugs. "We can spread out everyone along the borders of Gotham, we'll be fine and we'll watch out for that Vinnie guy." Cyborg claps me on the shoulder and I bite my tongue trying not to wince.

They start to leave the room. "Wait." They turn to look at me. "Don't call him Vinnie, call him Bellerose. If you see him tell him Nightwing says hi."

Cyborg chuckles. "No problem, anything else?"

"You should call and check on Starfire." I say quickly before I think about the repercussions of what I'm saying.

Cyborg smiles cheekily, rivaling Beast Boy's expressions. "Worried?" He asks smugly.

I feel the heat rush to my cheeks. "I just have a feeling that something's off." I rub the back of my head, knowing well that Raven is detecting every ounce of emotion pouring out of me.

"Yeah I'll check the UTC devices, okay? Now get some rest." He leaves and Raven stares at me like I'm hiding something.

I chuckle nervously. "Thanks Raven, I think I'm going to get some rest now." Her eyes narrow in on me, and I feel smaller than a bug.

She sighs. "Worrying doesn't take away today's troubles; it takes away tomorrow's peace." She leaves in a blur and relief courses through me before dread.

She can feel my emotions for Starfire, she knows. All I can do now is wait, and heal, and reflect on how stupid and mediocre my decisions have been for the past ten years.

* * *

**Raven POV**

Cyborg is immediately in my face as soon as I walk out of Nightwing's hospital room. He's smiling stupidly at me, making me feel heavy under his gaze. I walk away from him but he still follows me with that stupid look on his face. I turn around on him fast. "WHAT?" I say with enough threatening tone to scare Freddie Krueger.

"What are you and BB _really_ doing?" He asks with the smuggest look on his face that he can possibly muster.

I roll my eyes, and feel the same uneasiness that I was feeling earlier. "I told you, I just need to talk to him."

He rolls his eyes this time. "Yeah, 'talk'. Okay, that's a great lie."

I sigh heavily. "Why does it matter?"

"Well, you're taking away a valuable member of the Team tonight so you can 'talk' to him. Does that not sound suspicious to you?" His voice carries strongly but I sense a tiny bit of hurt in his emotions. Is he upset that I'm not coming to him with every problem?

I turn away from him fast hoping he didn't see the heat spreading across my face. I pull up my hood and begin my trek to my room. I hear Cyborg chuckle behind me. "Don't think I didn't notice your glances you've been giving him!" He chuckles again. "Or your conspicuous costume change!"

I feel like I've been caught so I melt through the floor and reappear in my room. I breathe a sigh of relief and take off my hood, my hair fans out on my back and it makes me shiver. I fold my legs underneath me and precede meditation.

Sometimes when I meditate I feel like I'm in a different world, one that I can call my own. One that no one knows about, it's full of my deepest thoughts, worries, and nightmares. My other emotions are here also, but they usually keep to themselves unless there is trouble or misperception.

When I arrive in my mind, a dark velvet figure is waiting for me. She's wearing the same costume I am but on her stomach is a belly button piercing, its jewels match my chakra that lies on my forehead. Her hood covers most of her face but the shadow ends at her lips which are coated in a deep shade of red.

I fold out of my lotus position and approach the figure, it's another one of my emotions but I can't tell which one. "Who are you?" I ask boldly.

Her figure doesn't waver, and it frightens me slightly. "Who are you?" I ask again.

Her tongue flicks out and licks her lips. It sends a shiver through me, and I take a deep breath. "Who are you?" I ask for the last time with much more force.

"I am what I am." She says in a deep echoing voice. The sky turns a shade of deep red, it looks dangerous but beautiful.

"What emotion are you?" I ask as I attempt to look underneath her hood, there's too much darkness so I can't see anything. "Are you dangerous?"

"I am the darkness and the light; I am the solution, and the problem. I am fear and joy. I am what I am. Tell me Raven; are you afraid of the unknown?" Her voice carries around my mind and in the distance some of the rock pillars I embedded in here crumble and fall into the dark space beneath the long winding pathways.

The figure begins to approach me and I back up, when she reaches out a hand it's bony and unrecognizable. I shudder and fold back up into my lotus position. I chant my mantra and land on my knees in my room. I take deep breaths and try to pull myself together.

Knocks sound from my door and I rush to answer it, hoping that I can distract myself. I yank it open and see Beast Boy standing there. "Come in." I say.

He scrambles in and looks at me funny. "Is everything okay?" He asks me with alarm in his eyes.

I nod. "Why do you ask?" I try to calm my heart rate.

"Well, you're breathing heavy and your arms are glowing." He looks around the room. "Plus its pitch black in here too."

I look down at my arms and frown, they are glowing. The marks of Trigon are glowing, but slowly fading. I barely feel a sting, but it's not a good sign. I reach for the light switch and the room becomes light again. I sigh and cross my arms. "Is everyone gone?"

He nods. "They're on patrol. Mind telling me what's bothering you?"

I shake my head afraid to open my mouth. "No, let's get started."

He claps his hands together awkwardly. "So how are you supposed to do this? Touch my head or something?"

I grunt in slight aggravation. "No, take off your shirt and sit on the bed, and remember to remain calm."

His green eyes light up and his famous cheeky grin lights up the room even more. "If you wanted a show Rae, all you had to do was ask." He chuckles.

I snort and watch him take off his shirt. Instead of having a small layer of fat, which I expected, he is completely ripped. His tone pecks mesh right into his ab muscles. He's not as fit as Nightwing, but for his skinny build and height, it's pretty impressive. I quickly look away disgusted and amused by my thoughts. He sits on my bed and I use my powers to lock the door.

Beast Boy stares sadly at me. "Are you sure this is going to work?" He asks with an ounce of fear dripping from his body.

"I'm not sure, but I'm hoping it will. Lay down." I demand as I lower my hood.

He smiles at me again. "Didn't know you were so bossy, you better watch it Rae-" I slap my hand over his mouth.

"No dirty jokes, I'm trying to match our heartbeats so I can do this properly." His green eyes shimmer back at me, and my heart speeds up. Damn it. I remove my hands and he's still smiling.

"You've been around me too much." He says with a chuckle.

"Why do you say that?" I ask inquisitively.

"I wasn't going to say anything dirty. You just thought of that on your own." He chuckles some more and his emotions drip enthusiasm.

"Shut up, maybe I need to find a better taste in friends." I say to prick his heartstrings.

It doesn't work. "Friend? Yes! A new title for the day!" He pumps his fist into the air.

I groan in frustration. "Shut up! Lay down!" I press my hand to his chest and push him down; he quickly quiets down and looks into my eyes. "I need you to be very still, I'm going to literally enter your mind and see what's going on. If you even fluctuate emotions I could die, understand?"

He nods slowly and his heart rate rises then falls. "Do what you can Rae, I believe in you." He places his hand over mine and I close my eyes.

I still feel his gaze on me, but it doesn't disconcert me or bother me. I reach to the furthest part in his brain and transfer my emotion-self inside. This is the first time I've done this so I'm careful. As I land in his brain I take in my surroundings.

I'm in a lush green jungle, huge green leafs are blocking out the sky but I can still feel the intense glow of the sun on my skin. Many sounds circulate around me, birds caw, water bubbles, and leaves rustle. If I wasn't on a mission I would take this time to meditate, and center my mind. Instead I begin walking through a worn path. I arrive at a small camp; two tents and a fire pit stare barrenly at me. The place looks abandoned and there are claw marks on one of the tents.

"Hello?" I shout and surprisingly all the noise the jungle was emitting ends. Like a switch, the birds stop and the water sounds seize to exist. The sun that was piercing my back starts to feel cool and the sun rays that were shining through the leaves disappear. The silence is threatening and seems to engulf every move I take.

"Hello?" I say again but with less shouting, my voice comes out squeaky and small. I walk further into the little campsite and see smashed glass along with dented cans and scattered supplies. Whatever happened here was bad, really bad. "Beast Boy?" I shout louder into the forest looking deeper into the bushes.

I sigh and look inside one of the tents. A bloody sleeping bag is all that is left; paw prints and scratch marks make it nearly unidentifiable. I hear a grumbling behind me and I turn around. A few feet away from me is a patch of large bushes with thorns.

I look closely at it and approach cautiously, watching my step. Glass pieces crack underneath me, giving me an odd sense of reassurance in this now quiet jungle. My palms grow sweaty and I wipe them on my bare stomach. My cloak slithers around me and I look even closer into the bushes.

I am suddenly lifted off of the ground and catapulted halfway across the campsite. My back slams into the ground and I temporarily see stars. I groan and quickly stand up; I reach for my energy orbs but my emotion connection is cut off. I have no power here. My heart leaps three feet in the air and I look towards the bushes. A slumped figure makes its way towards me. It's large and green and growling at me. Its fangs are the largest feature on its face, and hair coats every inch of its skin. Talons elongate out of the creatures hands and I shudder in fear.

I scream out in terror as it races towards me, when I look into its eyes a pang of familiarity hits me like a ton of bricks. It's Beast Boy in his feral form. I scream again as I stand straighter. "Beast Boy, it's me! It's Raven!" I yell but the creature continues to charge towards me.

The bushes behind me rustle and more fear courses through me. I'm halfway glad my powers aren't working; if they were this place would be destroyed with the irregular emotion influxes. I look at the bushes and I see the familiar green eyes again, this time they're surrounded by a tiny face. A child. "Come with me!" He says in a tiny voice. He begins to run away and through the bushes.

I look back at the Beast and he's closer than before, I run after the tiny boy. The leaves scrape against my skin, I feel their fiery scratches scathe across my skin. I follow the tiny boy, and I feel the Beasts' breath on the back of my neck. I keep running, pushing myself further and further into this uninhabited jungle. Tree bark bumps me here and there but I keep going, ignoring the intense pain in my legs.

"Where are we going?" I scream at the little boy.

He doesn't look back at me, but he keeps running. "We have to escape, trust me!"

I keep running but the bumbling footsteps I hear behind me are growing closer and closer. The grunts are blowing hot steam onto my back, and my pace begins to slow when I realize the forest is thinning out. Before I know it the little boy is standing in the middle of a clearing that looks like a wide field. The field ends on a cliff and the little boy is looking over it. Vast mountains touch the grey sky; the mountains are jagged and rocky.

I catch up to him and look behind me; the Beast is bearing down on us. "What do we do now?"

The boy looks at me dead in the eye for the first time; there is no fear, but faith. He smiles, and I notice his teeth are normal. "We rise and fall." He giggles and jumps off the cliff.

I am too frightened to scream, my breathing stops and everything seems to slow down. All I hear is the blood rushing through the veins in my ears. The Beast is huffing, and a little boy is falling. I look over the cliff and for the first time in my life I trust my existence in the hands of others, even if they are tiny. It's time to rise and fall.

I jump over the cliff as the Beasts' talons graze my skin. Before I know it I'm falling, my hair is whipping around me and the only sound I hear is my screaming.

* * *

A/N: An extra-long chapter for everyone! (Happy Holidays) I hope you liked it, and I know what most of you are already thinking. "Where is all the RobStar?" DO NOT FRET! It is on its way, the BBRae stuff sets up the story line and some future missions. I hope you all enjoyed this, it took forever to write, and now I'm POSITIVE with what I'm going to do with the plot.

Please tell me how I did. Follow, Favorite, and REVIEW!

Next Chapter: A journey like no other, Flash and Jinx have a serious talk, and a message is read. More epic stuff is going to happen in the next chapter but I don't want to spoil anything. TRUST ME YOU WILL LOVE IT!

Thank you all XOXO.


	7. Fading Feats

To Thebookthief98 (Guest): Couldn't log in? Ha-ha, first off THANK YOU! And I'm sorry that my writing brought you to tears, which may be a secretive goal of mine. I also hate cliffhangers but I needed to make sure you guys would come back for this chapter! The Rob Star will be here soon, hopefully…Mwuahaha. Keep reading, and thank you.

To Miss geek (Guest): Thank you, and who doesn't feel bad for Star? It's really sad what leadership can do to one's mind. Crazy stuff! Please keep reading!

A/N: Welcome to the next chapter, I'm sorry about the cliffhanger last chapter but it was needed! I want this story to be exciting, and mind teasing. Enjoy…

"Into starlight sanctuary we dream the future, while the envious breath of past chills our skin. Yet all frost is temporary torture, and proudly we should bear its scars. We are the sum of our experiences, and the product of our dreams." Louddragon.

* * *

**January 6**

**Gotham Patrol**

**Flash POV**

It's been suspiciously quiet, too quiet and I don't like it. I've always hated the silence that nighttime brings. It forces me to think about things that I'm not ready to think about. Like the inevitable, or the future. The unknown has always been a secretive fear of mine, how should I know what's going to come next? How am I supposed to prepare for the infinite? I secure my earpiece to my ear a little more. _"Hey Cy, I'm really bored. Anything I can do while I'm waiting? Like going to get the Batcar, maybe?" _

The sound of four different sighs brings a smile to my face. _"No, stupid. The City is quiet right now, we don't need the Batcar, and we don't need BATMAN! Stop asking, and look out for any signs of trouble!" _Cyborg yells. My earpiece rumbles with his voice and I laugh openly into the nighttime air, a tiny bit of relief coursing through me.

A sneeze comes from the earpiece suddenly and my laughter seizes. _"Catching a cold, Jinxy?" _ I ask smugly.

"_Shut up FLASH." _She says as she sneezes again. Jinx knows I hate it when she calls me Flash so my mood changes and I obey.

The silence envelops me again; even the distant car horns deep within the City are not enough to distract me. Cyborg sent me to patrol the warehouse district of the City, and as fun as it sounded it isn't. The creepy shadows and scurrying of mice between cracks in the concrete structures makes me shiver, and secures a newly found fear for me in my mind. I hear footsteps and I crouch down behind a corner, I'm in a position where I could run at any speed when my chance comes. I look around the corner and notice two dark figures crouched between a wedge of warehouses. They're wearing bowler hats and conversing in extremely low tones.

My memory flicks at something Richard said about Bellerose, and I realize that these people could be part of the Mafia. I inch closer and hear the click of a gun behind me, _SHIT. _

"Where are you going buddy?" A gravelly but secure voice asks.

I look up and notice the two thugs are gone, this was a trap. I turn around, still in position to attack and press my earpiece. "I was just out taking a stroll through the City, BELLEROSE." I take my hand off my ear before he can notice that I communicated for help.

I hear his chuckle for the first time and it scares me, I've never been afraid of actual villains but he absolutely terrifies me. His chuckles subside. "How did you know my name, kid?"

I shrug, hoping he doesn't see my nervousness. "Lucky guess."

"I don't like people calling me Bellerose." He growls angrily.

I clench my fists preparing for a fight. "I don't like people calling me 'kid'." I growl back.

His mood suddenly changes and he chuckles again, it's a sick glottal sound that tickles the deep hidden anger that I tend to suppress in me. "You have heart kid, I'll give you that. Do you know what you're up against?"

I wiggle my fingers as I hear a click behind me. My blood turns cold; I've never been good with dodging bullets. I keep up my fearless façade. "I hope _you_ realize what you're up against, _Bellerose_."

The bullet goes off and I move quickly enough that it whizzes past my head, I feel a couple pieces of hair fly off in the process. I race towards Bellerose and grab him in a choke hold. I can't get a good grip on him because he whips out a gun, and clicks the bullet into place. I sigh and move my grip to his arm, I snap it and he screams in agony. The lower half of his arm hangs completely out of place, like a slab of meat. Another click comes from behind me and this time the bullet almost hits home. It grazes my arm as I run out of the way.

I look down at the blood rushing down my arm; I shake it out and bounce on my toes. "Who's next huh?" I yell at them, I watch Bellerose run down the alley and escape into a car at the end of it. I'm stuck between two behemoths, both of their guns are clicked into place and their aim is concentrated solely on me. I pretend to crack my neck as I see a flicker of movement from the rooftop above me. "Go on! Shoot! I don't have all night!" I yell at them.

One guy shoots and pink zig zags flash in front of me. The bullet melts and Jinx is in front of me before I know it. She cartwheels and pink hexes emit from her limbs, both behemoths attempt to escape but Jinx blindsides one with her powers. If I didn't know any better his feet were probably melted off. The other guy continuously shoots blindly as he runs down the alley. I follow him and tackle him to the ground, he shoots his gun again, which misses completely and I punch him in the jaw.

I see his gun rush towards my face, and my vision suddenly blurs considerably. I taste blood and dirt and I collapse as I watch his footsteps take off into a busy street. I hear cars honk and big thump sounds. I try to sit up to see what happened and to my very own dismay the guy is sprawled out with a pool of blood around him. Cars are honking and my head begins to throb, I feel the earth sway and my head slams on the pavement. Darkness envelopes me, and the fear of the unknown crawls up my conscience; again.

* * *

**Raven POV**

The throbbing pain in my head is nothing compared to how my legs feel. I peel open my eyes and take in my surroundings. I'm lying flat on my back staring at the grey rocky ceiling over me; I sit up too quickly and gasp in pain, it shocks through me like lightning.

I'm in a cave, there's a small fire in front of me, along with a few twigs. The opening to the cave is dark, and the sky bears no stars. The forest opening looks deadly serious, and almost dangerous. "Where am I?" I whisper softly, afraid to move again.

"You did it!" A soft tender voice says.

I look towards the surprising sound and notice that it's the little boy. The one who told me to rise and fall. "How am I not dead?" I ask too loudly, and my voice echoes harshly against the jagged walls of the cave.

He smiles again, and I notice that there's no jagged tooth. He's still green but his childish face makes my heart grow soft, he can't be more than the age of six. "You believe what you want to be." He says with a twinkle in his eye.

"What do you mean?" I ask while holding my stomach, the pain is too much for me.

"When you jumped you decided to believe that you wouldn't die, so you didn't. The pain you're also feeling is just what you want to believe." He grabs a twig from the ground and throws it in the fire.

I close my eyes momentarily and imagine that there isn't any pain; I tell myself that I didn't just fall hundreds of feet. The throbbing slows to a dull ache, and my muscles relax. A cold rush spreads through my body and the pain is gone, like a light switch. I open my eyes and the little boy is still smiling nicely at me, usually that would disgust me but instead it brings me great relief. "How do you know this, how did you save me?"

"I believed; that is the key to survival. That is the key to control." He plops down on the cave floor and looks longingly into the fire.

"Where are your parents?" I ask him.

His eyes don't leave the fire, but they do show a tiny emotion that I am unable to decipher. "They're dead." He says in a much less cheery voice, his face twists in sadness and a tear falls from his eye.

I crawl over to him and take him in my arms. He sobs once then stops the tears, he sniffles and I look deeply into his tiny green face. "I'm sorry." I whisper.

He looks at me and smiles sadly. "I like to believe that the pain of losing them is not there, it is nonexistent until I am reminded of my loneliness."

I wipe a tear from his cheek. "Are there others?"

He shakes his head. "The Beast ate them, I watched."

I allow him to sit back down and I sit next to him, staring at the fire with him. "What is your name?"

His smile suddenly becomes bigger. "Call me Garfield. Thanks for asking Raven."

"You're welcome, how did you know my name?" I fold my legs underneath me, cracking my neck and stretching my back.

"You are the cure silly." He says with a huge giggle.

I pause at his statement but before I can comment a growl comes from outside the cave. It rumbles the tiny pebbles that line it and they jump. Garfield stands and takes a fighting stance in front of me. I stand also, confused as to why he's protecting me. "The Beast wants to eat anything and everything; I'll protect you, always."

I touch his shoulder lightly. "You don't have to do that." I step in front of him and begin to walk towards the entrance of the cave. I feel a tug on my cloak and look back.

"Please Raven, let me protect you." He says with a sad look in his eyes.

My heart grows tender and all I want to do is hold the little boy in my arms for eternity. "We'll fight him together." I smile lightly, but I know he can see the sadness I am bearing. I'm willing to die for him, the Beast will not get to him if it's the last thing I do.

I step out into the night air with Garfield behind me. The crisp night air bears no sound, its deadly quiet and the big moon in the sky is abnormally sized. I hear the growl coming from the bushes in front of me and I take a fighting stance. I know that I have no power here but I have a plan, it might work if I'm strong enough. I look down at the scared little green boy. "Stay hidden behind me, if I die run as fast as you can Garfield."

He nods but puts up his little fists, his face doesn't look willing to fight, but his body language does. I wish I could read emotions now, but I'm utterly powerless, weak.

The bushes rumble again and this time the Beast howls into the night sky. It's so loud my eardrums ring when the sound deflates. I blink a couple times and prepare myself again. Before I know it green eyes peak out from the bush and a big hairy monster steps forward. It looks even more threatening than before, its muscles are clenched and its mouth is foaming.

I swallow the scream in my throat and summon my courage. "Come and get me." I whisper.

The Beast roars and charges towards me, its talons dig into the sandy gravel, leaving long claw marks. The thumping of the ground vibrates around the jungle, and I'm positive he can hear my heartbeat. He comes closer and when he's close enough I punch out at him. My fist bounces right off his head, and he back hands me into the rock wall.

For a moment my vision is pitch black, I can't see anything. Then the pain comes rushing in and I open my eyes. It's unbearable; I crawl onto my hands and knees and spit up blood. My lip feels cracked and my head is going to burst but I do what Garfield told me, believe. The pain subsides and I hear his little scream. I scramble to my feet and rush over to where he's running. I push him out of the way and the Beast head butts my side.

More pain, more blood, more believing. I look to see Garfield's tiny little face in the bushes. I have to protect him. "STAY DOWN!" I scream and swallow the metallic taste in my mouth.

The Beast slowly makes its way to me, suddenly standing on two feet. He clenches his claws and the talons grow longer. I have a feeling of what's coming and believing might not be enough. I stand up shakily swallowing another scream. The Beast approaches and now is standing a steady five inches from me. His misty breath puffs into my face. He raises his arm, talons sparkling in the moonlight. I close my eyes and trust my instincts; I reach out my arms and place my hands on its furry chest.

I hear the arm coming towards me and I open my eyes and look into the Beasts' green orbs. Garfield's words echo in my head and the arm falls limp to its side. The eyes look immensely sad, and even regretful. The fur begins to disappear, the shining skin underneath turning into a gleaming chest.

I still look into his eyes; they don't change while everything else does. When the transformation is done, I am left with my hands pressed against Beast Boy's chest pectorals. He is his regular height, which is way taller than me, but he's not a ten foot monster anymore. Relief courses through me and I feel his arms close in around me.

His breathing is erratic, but normal. I press my ear to his chest and hear his heartbeat slow down. I hug him back, feeling small tears fold out of my own eyes. "Raven, I am so sorry." He breathes.

I am too emotional to answer back so I nod and shake my head, hugging him tighter. He lets go but keeps his arms around me, as do I. He looks into my eyes and I feel myself smile. He's back, I took down the Beast.

The bushes rumble again and fear literally pours out of me. I look towards the noise and see little Garfield make his way over to me. He hugs my legs and I let go of Beast Boy. I hear and feel his little tears. I pick him up and hug him gratefully. "We're alive, everything is better now."

We all hug in a tight group huddle as the little boy shakes and sobs even more. Beast Boy rubs my back and I close my eyes grateful for what I'm feeling.

When I open my eyes Beast Boy is looking into them, but we're back in my room at Wayne manor. His face is illuminated by the small lights in my room. My hand is still pressed tightly onto his chest. I retract it immediately, and forcefully. A couple books on my dresser burst open and fall onto the floor, my powers are back.

Beast Boy rubs a hand over his face, his expression pained. "What's wrong?" I ask too urgently.

He sits up and runs his hands through his green hair. "I saw that entire thing, I was there. I was little Garfield and the Beast. I don't know how, but, ugh!" He holds his face in his hands.

I sigh and I feel something drip from my nose. I stand up and make my way over to the wall mirror. My nose is bleeding; I grab the tissue box and press a wad of them to my nose.

Beast Boy stands up and walks over to me. "Is that a bloody nose?" He demands.

"Yeah, though it's none of your concern." I feel the room sway lightly and my knees begin to buckle.

Beast Boy notices and places a hand on my back. He leads me over to the bed and sits me down gently. "This was stupid to do." He says as his jaw clenches. "It's weakened you, and I'm pissed off."

I look at him. "Why?" My voice sounds funny because of the tissues but I ignore it.

"I hurt you, don't you realize that? I could've killed you! You didn't even have your powers and you still kept going." He stands up and begins to pace.

"Can you calm down?" I remove the tissue from my nose and throw it into the trash bin. "I knew the risks; I knew what I was getting into."

He stops and looks at me. "Did you? Did you really? You sure as hell looked pretty surprised in there!" He yells.

I rub my head, feeling a headache coming on. "I did what I did to save YOU!" I say as I raise my voice. "If you were so concerned for my safety in there you would've held back the Beasts' attacks!"

His green eyes look at me incredulously. "Don't you think I would've tried that if I could? I tried everything to hold back the Beast, I literally couldn't control what Garfield or the Beast did. I was just in their body witnessing the entire thing!" He crosses his arms and lowers his voice. "It pained me to do so. Did you really think I would've done those things voluntarily? I would never hurt you, never." He bows his head in shame.

I stand up and walk towards him. "The Beast is gone now; we have nothing to worry about."

He keeps his head bowed. "That's the problem, I still feel him in there. You may have suppressed him, but he's going to come back. Bigger and stronger, how are we going to deal with it then?" He looks down at me, his green eyes full of tears.

I'm slowly beginning to realize that I've reached a point in my friendship with Beast Boy where we can tell each other anything. I'm comfortable enough to cry in front of him, and he is with me; what does that mean? I pull him into a hug and he gratefully accepts. He doesn't sob, but cries slowly. "I'll risk it all again, I will." I say.

I feel him shake his head. "No, I'm not going to let you get hurt again. I don't want you to see me at my worst." His voice cracks and the wetness from his tears stain my cloak.

"I already have Beast Boy, and I'm not running; am I?" I feel him tighten the hug and I inhale his scent, I've never been one for physical contact before, but I don't mind this at all. This feels right, almost normal.

Beast Boy shakes his head again. "No, the next time the Beast becomes uncontrollable I'll have the cure with me. I'll take the cure before I allow you inside of my head again."

I feel my body stiffen and I stifle my gasp. I break away from the hug. "Are you sure we'll be able to find Tesla in time?"

He nods his jaw clenching. "When I find Tesla, I'm going to get answers, I'm going to get the cure, and I'm going to get revenge.

I bite my lip; I don't want him to take the cure. Would that be selfish of me if I tell him that? Is it wrong of me to want him to stay this way? I walk over to the bed and sit down and cross my arms.

"What's wrong?" He asks, his tears are gone and his face is tired.

"I'm tired." I lie.

He nods. "You should get some rest then, see you in the morning." He turns to leave and something in me twists. The feeling of yearning and want bubbles up inside of me.

"No!" I shout and a bucket of pencils falls over, he barely notices.

"What's wrong?" He asks as he rubs his eyes.

I bite my lip harder this time, I make my decision. I have to be selfish this time. "Stay." My voice cracks, and it sounds like barely a whisper.

His eyes widen and I feel excitement roll off of him. "What?" He smirks.

"Stay, here…with me." I stutter.

He grins and his incisor peeks out of his mouth, like usual. "Are you sure?"

I run my eyes over his abs, his chest, and his lean muscular arms. "Yes." I don't know what's come over me, but I don't care. I need him, and I can feel that he needs me.

He turns out the light and the only thing that illuminates the room now is the pale moonlight that shimmers through the thin curtains. I feel the bed shift with his body weight and I adjust the blankets over the both of us. We both sit very still while staring at the ceiling. It's not as awkward as I want to believe, but he breaks the silence.

"I'm sorry." He whispers.

I turn on my side to look at him. "For what?"

He turns on his side, and I feel his emotions shift. "For hurting you." He reaches out and touches my face gently, so gently that I barely feel it.

"You could never hurt me." I whisper back and place my hand over his hand.

He suddenly pulls me closer to him; I don't stiffen or push away. I surprisingly accept his embrace, and his comfort. He holds me close to his chest and rests his chin on my head. The pillows sink deep into our cheeks, and soon we share one pillow. I feel my legs tangle with his; it feels like the most natural thing in the world. I spread out my hands on his till bare chest and inhale his comforting scent once again. I close my eyes, deeply comforted.

"How did you feel about my mind?" He asks suddenly.

I don't move from where I am, and I keep my eyes closed. "You have a beautiful mind Beast Boy." I whisper softly, I feel my body start to fall asleep.

I feel his smile and happiness. "Meditation worthy?"

"Yes." I whisper. If only he knew that meditation was the first thing I thought about when I was in his mind.

We lay in silence for minutes more. His breathing slowing down and I hear the thumping of his heart steady. "Can I ask you one more thing Raven?"

I nod, too tired to speak.

"Can you call me Garfield from now on?" He asks.

I smirk, feeling his emotions quiver. "Yes." I mumble. The contentedness flowing out of him makes my heart soar. I fear the emotions I'm feeling with him, and I cherish them at the same time. I feel myself drift into sleep along with him, out heartbeats are in perfect tandem.

* * *

**January 7- Morning**

**Wayne Manor**

**Nightwing POV**

Three polite knocks wake me from my sleep and I grunt in frustration. "Who is it?" I shout.

The door opens and Cyborg and Alfred pile in. Alfred bows his head, then makes steady eye contact with me. "Morning Master Richard."

I nod and sit up with surprisingly no pain at all. "Hey Alfred, hey Cyborg."

Cyborg sighs. "I know you're itching to figure out how patrol went last night." He looks down momentarily and I immediately know what's going on. "I'm calling a group meeting so we can discuss it over breakfast."

I nod. "Was Bellerose spotted?" I ask hurriedly, that's all that matters now.

Cyborg nods. "Get dressed and meet me in the hallway." He leaves the room and Alfred snorts.

He places a small pile of clothing on the bed for me, along with my favorite mask. "Thanks Alfred."

"Not a problem, Master Richard." He responds and briskly leaves the room.

I sigh and ease out of bed, my legs still feel weak, but with some training and exercise I can build up the muscle I lost. I slip into my clothing, a regular dark blue pullover and dark wash jeans. When I place my mask on my face the feeling of it brings me comfort, and I partially miss my old position of being Robin. I crack my back lithely and walk out into the hall where Cyborg is waiting.

"Care to tell me what happened last night?" I ask him as I begin walking to the dining area.

Cyborg shakes his head. "The whole team will discuss it together; you're not going to be happy."

I sigh. "Is everyone there?"

"No, Beast Boy and Raven haven't appeared yet. Beast Boy wasn't in his room and I haven't checked on Raven." He looks down one of the long hallways. "We should probably go wake her, though I expected her to be awake already."

I nod. "Fine, then let's hurry up and get to breakfast. I may be disabled for the next few days but I can still make a plan."

Cyborg waves his hand at me. "Shut up Spiky, and knock on Raven's door."

I raise my hand to her door and knock, but disappointedly the door creaks open. Cyborg's eyes widen and he looks extremely frightened. I clear my throat. "Uh, Raven? It's breakfast time, so you should come on down."

No answer for a response. Cyborg makes a relieved gesture. "Maybe she's already gone to breakfast."

I suspect the same and open the door wider to confirm his theory. To my surprise I see a large lump in bed. The door hits the wall and two faces pop up from the mattress. Beast Boy is rubbing his eyes and Raven is looking at the door shocked. Her eyes begin to glow. "Get out!" She screams in a voice that doesn't sound like hers.

Cyborg grabs the door and slams it; I'm still too shocked to comprehend what I just saw. I look up slowly at Cyborg. "How much of that toxin is still in my system?" I ask wondrously. I begin to walk away from Raven's room rubbing my head.

Cyborg shakes his head, his mouth still hanging open. "I must've had a dose of it as well." He sighs. "That's another topic we'll bring up during breakfast."

We head downstairs and walk into the dining hall. The long table is coated with various breakfast items, including fruits, waffles, cereals, muffins, juices, crepes, pancakes, etc. Alfred always impresses me with his lavish cooking. I spot most of the team at one end of the table conversing. I look at Babs and she looks visibly upset. Jason is laughing at something that is obviously not funny and Jinx is touching Flash's face. My eyes flicker back to his face. "What happened to Flash?"

Cyborg's jaw clenches. "Bellerose did, come on let's eat."

We walk towards the group and they greet us. I take one long look at Flash. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, just a little scratch." He says as Jinx presses an ice pack to his face.

Half his face is a purple color and his lip is split wide open. He's not wearing a mask but I still know that his face is swollen. We've been friends since I was seven; I know that when he says he's fine he's really not. "Do we need Raven to heal that for you?" I ask, trying to get the image of her and Beast boy out of my head.

Flash shakes his head and takes a gulp of juice from his glass. "Jinxy here will take care of me." He smiles lovingly at her and she rolls her eyes.

Just then the doors open revealing a fresh looking Raven and Beast Boy. They look at us then look at the floor and various parts of the room. I can't stand awkwardness. "Take a seat; we have some things to discuss." I say authoritatively.

I watch everyone take their seats and grab a breakfast item to nibble on, except Cyborg. He's on his fifth plate of waffles. "Can someone please tell me what went on last night?"

Beast Boy and Raven look across the table at each other with crazy expressions and I sigh agitatedly. "Not you guys, but we will be discussing that. I meant during patrol."

Cyborg claps his metallic hands together and I grab an apple from the bowl and begin to crunch into it. Cyborg looks at me and everyone else. "Well, in the warehouse district last night Flash found Bellerose and his pals. They tried to shoot Flash and actually nicked him in the arm, just a little. Flash tried to subdue them and snapped Bellerose's arm. He then somehow became trapped in between two of his junkies and Bellerose ran away into a getaway car." He chews another piece of his waffle.

Jinx clears her throat. "Then Flash nearly risked his life with angering the two gunmen." She sounds angry but her face says otherwise.

Flash holds up his hands and I notice the large bandage on his bicep. "I saw you on the roof; I knew you would come rescue me." He chuckles as she punches him in the arm.

Babs looks at me. "Jinx used her powers and subdued one of them, Flash chased the other and they got into a fist fight. The guy then ran into oncoming traffic, willfully."

Jason slaps the table. "Here's where _we_ have trouble. The guy is dead, he's dead and the Justice League has to explain a harmless hand to hand combat between hero and citizen to the public. Do you know what position that puts Bruce in?"

I look at Jason for the first time since my incident. "Don't talk, you don't even care what Bruce has to go through now."

His eyes narrow. "Right and you do? His first son acts so prominent but you can't even talk with him on a personal level? You're pathetic." He rolls his eyes.

"The only thing pathetic is your hissy fits. The final proof of greatness lies in being able to endure criticism without resentment, can you do that Jason? Can you do that without crying for a medic?" I narrow my eyes at him, and with the mask on it looks even more threatening than it seems.

Raven grunts and rubs her head. "Can you guys take your argument somewhere else please?" She asks.

I sigh. "Mind telling everyone what Beast Boy was doing in your BED, shirtless?" Everything grows quiet and I hear Jinx gasp.

Cyborg stops chewing. "It scared the crap out of us too."

Beast Boy turns a light shade of pink along with Raven. Flash starts laughing extremely loud. "Getting some are we BB?" He asks, as Jinx hits him in the arm.

Beast Boy stands up suddenly. "Shut the hell up Flash, you don't know anything!" His voice sounds guttural, and animalistic. His eyes are glowing with fury.

Raven looks at Beast Boy with an actual frightened expression on her face. "Beast Boy, stop." She hisses.

Beast Boy looks down at his hand, his fingernails are suddenly growing into claws; they look like talons. His veins are sticking out and his fangs are appearing. He looks at us and runs out of the room like a scared puppy.

Raven looks at us angrily. "If you really want to know why he was in my room it was because of THAT!" She yells and some of the glass plates on the table explode. She runs after him, slamming the dining room doors in the process.

Babs slaps a laughing Jason on the back of his head. I look at everyone. "We'll have to figure THAT out later. Anymore issues we need to address?"

Jason sighs. "You messed up bro."

I narrow my eyes again. "How so?"

He looks at me like I'm stupid. "They're adults; it's none of your business why they were in _bed_ together. I thought Bruce taught you how to not be nosy."

I throw my apple at him and it thumps him in the head. He falls out of his chair and Babs giggles. "Anyone else have a problem with me?" I look around and everyone just shakes their heads. "Now Cyborg how was Starfire?" I ask not caring who hears me.

His eyes widen. "Uh, I never checked."

I feel anger bubble in me. "You never checked? She probably feels abandoned!" I yell.

Jason is in his chair again and he laughs openly. "She probably felt that when you rejected her continuously." He snorts and I grab a knife. I fling it at him with so much precision it lands in the chair next to his neck. It is halfway into the wood.

"Shut the fuck up." I growl and stand.

His eyes light up in apprehension and curiosity. "If your temper is this easy to get I can't imagine what it felt like to argue with Starfire. Tell me brother, did you ever hit her?" He smiles, unfazed by my accurate knife throwing skills.

I grab a glass plate and fling it at him; he stands up to dodge it and throws a handful of forks at me. I dodge the forks and some land in the wall. I grab some plates and throw them at him; one of the shards cuts his cheek. "Do you ever hit the guys you see at the gay clubs?" I hear gasps around me but I don't care.

Babs is shouting at us, but I barely hear her over Jason's obnoxious laughing. "You were such a disappointment for Starfire, I doubt if she would mind if _you_ went to a gay club."

I fling more plates at him each of them smashing on the walls and chairs. Arms suddenly wrap around me and Babs yanks me by my ear back to my seat. She makes her way around the table and slaps Jason hard in the face. She then grabs him by the ear and plops him in his seat. "Both of you stop acting so immature." She frowns and makes her way to her own seat.

I look at Cyborg about to scold him for not calling Starfire but his face is blank and he has a UTC device in his hand. Flash and I exchange looks. "Cyborg what's wrong?"

He looks up at us slowly. "Star…Starfire, she's…" He looks at me and gulps then hands me the UTC device. I take it gratefully and listen to her message; I turn the volume up extra loud so everyone at the table can hear. Her voice brings back pure sweet memories that nearly make my eyes water.

"_Friends, I want you to know that my short visit to Tamaran will be short lived. I fear that I may never talk to you again, so please listen carefully. By the time you reach this message it may already be too late, but I need you to know that I love you all from the bottom deepest crevice of my heart. I also want you to know that if you ever want to seek revenge, find Karras. He is the reason for everything done to me, he is the reason. Again, I love you all and tell Robin that I will love him for my last eight hours in existence, meaning forever."_

I stare at the UTC device; she didn't do a video message so I can't see her face. All I hear is her voice and her words 'I will love him for my last eight hours' echoes in my mind. I feel like my heart has stopped beating and every piece of my existence was used in vain. I drop the device and stand up from my chair abruptly, all the color has drained out of me and I can't breathe. She's dead, or close to it. I look at the rest of my team, my mouth still hanging open. Their expressions read sadness, anger, anguish, and sorrow. "Find Beast Boy and Raven, get the Titan interplanetary ship, and prepare for battle." I say, though my voice doesn't sound like my own.

Flash stands up with me. "We need to call the Justice-"

I interrupt him. "DO WHAT I SAY!" I yell angrily and storm from the room. I can feel all their gazes on me, but I don't care. I have to save the only girl who's ever cared about me on a personal level, even if it's the last thing I do.

* * *

A/N: Nightwing is going to go berserk! Is Starfire even alive? Many questions! So many unanswered! I hope everyone liked it; the quote at the beginning was done by me. I tend to come up with things like that and it fit this perfectly. I have some exciting news! I'm a beta reader now, so if any of you have any requests PM me! I am more than happy to read new material. If you don't want to send me a request or if you don't have one check out my beta profile anyway…You might just learn something new about me.

Please Follow, Favorite, and REVIEW! More reviews can make the story bigger!

Next Chapter: An adventure in Space will change some for better and for worse. Will they make it? Will they survive? Will they find Starfire dead or alive? What will happen?

Chapter Name Explanation: I named it fading feats because of all the interconnecting communication patterns I'm creating. The story line is literally just starting to heat up, and most of this information will fade into the main plot as the story progresses. Thanks for reading XOXO.


	8. Emotionally Propagated Part 1

To Miss Geek: Thanks! Emotions will definitely run wild in this story, so buckle up! Nightwing is in for a tricky ride. Glad you like it, you're a great reviewer.

A/N: Sorry about the late update, I was in the hospital. I was injured pretty badly in dance, my pointe shoe literally snapped in half and then the doctors realized that I was dangerously underweight so I had to stay overnight. Enjoy the next chapter! I worked really hard on it; there will also be the first Beast Boy POV in this chapter. THIS CHAPTER IS DEDICATED TO Thebookthief18, thank you for everything you said. There need to be more people like you in this world.

"Your intellect may be confused, but your emotions never lie to you." –Roger Ebert

* * *

**January 7**

**Wayne Manor-Evening**

**Nightwing POV**

I'm waiting as patiently as I can by the Bat plane, but no matter what I do I still can't get my mind off of Starfire. What if she's hurt, what if she's crying? I refuse to think of the inevitable but this time I can't help myself. I can't seem to calm the panic I'm feeling. "Hurry up guys! We need to be there by tomorrow!" I yell.

The Team hobbles out of the door carrying their bags and I bite my tongue afraid of blasting them with my fury. "Throw those in and get in your seats quickly!"

Raven stops and looks at me worriedly. "You need to stay calm, you're still not well enough for this mission."

I look at her and frown. "I don't care if I die; I need to make sure Starfire is safe! Hurry the hell up!"

"Dude, don't you dare yell at her! You have no right!" Beast Boy shouts from a couple feet away.

I look at him in incredulity. "I have no right?" I fake chuckle and walk over to him. "I am the leader Beast Boy, who are you to tell me I have no right to yell orders?"

Beast Boy drops his bags and his face twists into a scowl. "I'm speaking English aren't I? I SAID don't yell at her. I don't care who you are, you have no right!" He yells in my face.

I can't deal with silly petty skirmishes right now so I do what any guy would do in the face of danger. I swing out and my fist connects with his green face. I feel my knuckles split open and the warmth of blood seeping out. He doubles over and stands up quickly, his mouth dripping blood. "I am the leader!" I yell at him, it felt so good to release that frustration, but I regret it immediately.

I see a blur of green and suddenly I'm on the ground. Beast Boy is pummeling my face with his right fist and each time he hits me I see swirls of color. I hear the thumping of footsteps and he's lifted off of me there's a bunch of shouts and yells and I roll over to spit out blood. I stand and Babs quickly helps me to my feet.

Cyborg is standing between the two of us, but Beast Boy's growling and his hands are turning into claws. "What the hell happened?" Cyborg shouts.

Raven runs over to Beast Boy and places her hands on his chest. "Guys back away!" She yells at us.

The Titans look at her curiously but we all obey. Babs is wiping at my face with a napkin but I can't stop watching what's happening in front of me. Beast Boy drops to his knees screaming in pain and Raven is yelling something at him. "Cyborg what's going on?" I ask.

Cyborg looks at me with a frightened expression. "I don't know! One minute he's normal and the next he's in pain. How hard did you hit him?"

Beast Boy screams in pain again and Jason appears by my side. "What the hell is happening?"

Raven stands and backs away as Beast Boy curls up and breathes heavily. Raven looks at me in disgust. "Look what you did!" She shouts.

"I only punched him in the face!" I say back to her.

She sighs and pinches the bridge of her nose. "Beast Boy has a current medical condition that renders him unstable during confrontations, you triggered his animal side."

I look at Beast Boy and I suddenly feel guilty and stupid, Batman is going to drill me about this later. "How do we stop it?"

Raven's eyes shut momentarily, and I suddenly realize that she's trying to open a mental link to Beast Boy. Her eyes open and she looks at me. "Apologize." She snarls at me.

I hold up my hands in defense and look at the green form on the ground. "Beast Boy, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to yell, Raven deserves better."

His breathing slows and Raven looks at me gratefully. She looks at him and places a hand on his back. "Garfield, suppress the Beast." She urges in a soothing tone.

He tries to stand and Raven helps him. His nose is bleeding along with his lip, guilt ripples through me and I try not to think of what Starfire would say to me in this situation. I feel disgusted at myself for allowing my temper to get out of control. I feel Cyborg clap me on the back and I clear my throat. "Beast Boy, what's going on?" I ask cautiously.

Raven and Beast Boy look at each other and he nods. "Lately the Beast inside of me has been trying to take over; my human side has been dwindling."

Babs gasps slightly and I nod. "How do we stop it?"

Raven glares at me. "There is no 'we' you've done enough."

Beast Boy looks at her in appreciation. "Rae, relax. I'm okay now." He looks at me and smirks, it doesn't look as honest as it seems. "I do plan on a rematch however."

I sigh in relief that he's forgiven me but regret still tugs heavily on my chest. Jason sputters. "Wait a second! What 'Beast'?" He asks.

Beast Boy looks at him agitatedly. "The one that dwells within my supernatural ability, and when I get angry I lose control of him." He looks at me next. "Raven's been helping me suppress the Beast, but he keeps coming back. She went into my mind last night, that's why you saw us in bed together."

"Bunch of pervs." Raven mumbles unintelligently.

Cyborg crosses his metallic arms. "What does this mean for you? Are you going to permanently become the Beast?"

Beast Boy smirks. "No, Raven and I are going to find the guy who created the Sakutia disease that turned me green. I'm going to get the cure and become human again."

The Titans drop their mouths in astonishment and Raven pales visibly, even though her grey complexion already made her look deathly ill. I blink a couple times and try to process what I've just heard; before I can say anything about it Beast Boy grabs his bags and walks over to the ship. "Let's get a move on guys, we need to save Starfire!" He yells and looks at me. "Do I sound familiar?" He asks sanctimoniously, a punch in the face could never stop him from being a pretentious asshole.

Cyborg claps and frowns. "Time to get a move on, we packed extra supplies in case we get stuck or anything, I'm piloting so make sure you talk to green bean about that skirmish, ok?" He says in a low tone.

I nod and grit my teeth; I'm interrupted by a hand gripping my shoulder. I know who it is before I turn around and I brace for the worst. I sigh and look at Batman, his cowl is on and he looks angrier than usual. "You're making a mistake." He says in a contrite tone.

I shake my head, too muffled with confusion to even risk the effort in understanding him. My stress levels are peaking at dangerous. "Leave me alone." I watch the Titans pile into the ship and argue over window seats. I'm too anxious to fight with Bruce and I'm too wired to not want to.

Batman frowns. "You are showing weakness, the tricks of the heart are as villainous as the Joker. Don't trick yourself into believing something is there when it's clearly not."

I stare at him in annoyance. "Don't tell me not to save her, save your breath. Starfire has meant more to me than anything on this planet, and anyone, go to hell Bruce." I huff and turn towards the ship.

"Lead me there." He mumbles more to himself, I don't think he wanted me to hear him but I did. I shut the latch on the jet door and toss my bags into the correct spot. The Ship looks like a regular jet, except it has a larger fuel tank and a giant 'T' logo stamped on its side. The passenger seats are lined up like a regular plane but they're bigger and cozier. There are two separate aisles.

Cyborg has a headset on and he's pressing a ton of buttons in the cockpit. I look behind me and see Babs, she waves me over and I sit down to buckle my seat belt. Babs looks out the window at Bruce's retreating figure. "Did he chew you out?" She asks in a knowing tone.

I shrug. "Somewhat, I told him to go to hell."

Babs laughs, I feel like she enjoys it when Bruce and I fight. "What did he say?"

"He said lead me there." Babs laughs and starts to organize some of her weapons in her bag. Jason is leaning over my seat and talking to her about something unintelligible, I've tuned out completely. I'm still pissed at Jason, but I guess you can't cure stupidity.

I rub the back of my neck in exhaustion, I miss Starfire's shoulder massages. I yearn for her touch, her smile, and her confidence. Something I've been lacking lately is confidence and pride. I may be the famous boy wonder and the mysterious Nightwing but ever since I've walked out of her life I've felt like I've been living a lie. I don't have her happiness or her joy to keep me going anymore. The jet lurches and we gently lift into the air, I feel the cabin shake as we hit the atmospheric layers and before I know it Earth looks like a tiny blue and green marble drifting in the empty void of black space.

A tap snaps me out of my reverie and I look to see who it is. "Hey Raven." I say in a fake light tone.

She frowns at me and I shiver. "I can read emotions you know, yours are the most pronounced right now and its bothering me, so I have to ask. Are you thinking about Starfire?"

"Well I am now." I smugly say back.

She flicks my face and I wince. "You know what I mean." She grumbles in her monotone voice.

I sigh and nod and look around at the others. Everyone is engulfed in their own activities and conversations so they won't hear me. "I can't stop thinking about her, I feel like something is wrong."

Raven smirks knowingly. "We're going to find her, but you need to relax. If you keep stressing out you'll inflict harm on others."

I wince. "Sorry about Beast Boy, I don't know what came over me."

She nods silently and looks like she's pondering something and I still feel like my apology isn't accepted. "You're also still not healed, you need rest."

I shake my head. "No, I need to get to Starfire."

"I know that, but we're still 23 hours away from her." She reaches out and places two fingers on my forehead, her eyes glow white. I feel a cooling sensation flow through my veins and my eyelids droop without my control.

"What are you doing to me?" I ask groggily, my voice sounds far away.

Raven retracts her hand slowly, her eyes fading to their normal color. "I'm inducing a nice nightmare free slumber for you. You'll wake up in a few hours nice and refreshed." She responds and walks away.

I look at her retreating figure and mentally thank her before I recline my seat and shut my eyes. Starfire is the last thing I think about before drifting off into the darkness of my mind.

* * *

**Beast Boy POV**

Raven comes back with a nice look on her face; she shuffles past me and takes a window seat next to me. I smirk at her, knowing well why she looks so content. "So you talk to Nightwing?"

She nods and looks at me, her purple eyes sparkle and I'm glad we're seated in the back of the jet where no one can see me admire her the way I do. "I didn't do much talking I just put his emotions at ease, they were literally screaming at me." She replies in her monotone voice.

I smirk lightly. "You can feel everyone's emotions on this jet right?"

She nods at me and I grin at her. "I want to know what Flash is feeling."

Her eyebrows shoot up in curiosity. "Why?" She mumbles.

I look over at him; he's looking at Jinx in awe as she scolds him about something incomprehensible. Even though she's rough on him he still looks at her like that, I don't understand why. "I want to know if what he feels for Jinx is true, you know what happened last time they had a relationship, it didn't end well." I say while still looking at them.

Raven sighs and is quiet for a moment, I look at her without her noticing and I observe that her hair is longer than it was before. It's hanging down around her face and resting comfortably on her cloak, it naturally twists into ringlets at the end. I reach out and lightly twist one of the ringlets around my finger. She turns to look at me and I sheepishly smile. "You're staring." She groans.

"I know." I reply in a deep tone.

She stares at me and I look deeply into her purple eyes. "Love." She whispers.

I twist the angle of my head in confusion, does she mean us? She notices my expression and points to Flash. "He loves her."

A look of realization crosses my face and I hope she doesn't notice. "Are you sure?" I ask. "Last time he said that he was caught with a member of the Justice League, remember Artemis?"

Raven nods. "I'm sure, last time he was unsure of what love was. Now that I sense his emotions there's nothing but pure veneration for her, meaning love."

I look at her perplexingly. "What emotions do you sense from me?" I ask in a low tone.

Her eyes betray her shock. "I try not to read your emotions, I usually block them out." She bites her lips subconsciously.

"Why?" I ask loudly.

She sighs. "I'm afraid of what people close to me think about me; I don't want to get upset because you're thinking I'm creepy or weird." She avoids my gaze momentarily.

I shake my head. "You're not creepy or weird, you're mysterious and beautiful. Don't block me out; tell me what I'm feeling." I demand in a soft tone.

Her cheeks turn a light shade of pink and she bites her lip harder and nods, her eyes go wide and I wonder if I did something wrong. She turns toward her window immediately and I swallow my pride. "What, what did you feel?" I ask in trivial alarm.

She shakes her head, her purple locks sending her scent around me. It wafts through my nose and I reach out and grab her hand. Her fingers clasp around mine and she looks at me in an odd way. "Admiration." She whispers and tries to avoid my gaze.

I nod and her face moves closer to mine. "Why admiration Beast Boy?" She asks.

"Call me Gar." I whisper back, hoping that I answered her question. Her face is so close to mine I can feel her breath flickering off of my skin. Her eyes are locked onto mine and I feel my own emotions swell. I know she's reading me, and I don't care. I want her to know how I feel about her. My face inches closer to hers and her eyes flicker to my lips; my eyes do the same and we both know what's about to happen. Our noses touch gently and her breath hitches. "Beast Boy." She whispers.

I smile at her. "Call me Gar." I whisper again and brush my lips against hers lightly, it's barely noticeable but I'm sure shivers are coursing down both of our spines. Her eyes connect with mine and she moves forward about to kiss me deeper when I hear a loud annoying chuckle coming from the aisle.

"Raven and Beast Boy sitting in a tree, G!" He sings in a playful tone. I look at Jason and roll my eyes, rivaling Raven's attitude.

"Dude, what the hell do you want?" I shout at him.

He looks at me and his eyebrows twitch up and down. "I just wanted to see you get some action, Babs and Nightwing are sleeping and Jinx only keeps yelling at Flash. Cyborg nearly threw me off the Ship so I needed someone to annoy." He shrugs and winks at me. "That Beast must be quite the feline attractor I might add." He finishes. His attempt at trying to be funny disgusts me.

I look back at Raven and she's facing the window. I roll my head back to Jason. "Why the hell are you so annoying?" I ask him.

He laughs and walks away, I recline my seat and stare at the ships ceiling. I don't realize that I'm still holding Raven's hand until I start to drift to sleep, I squeeze tighter and she returns it.

* * *

**Nightwing POV**

"Wake up Spiky; we're in the Vega System!" Cyborg booms into my ear.

I blearily open up my eyes and glare at the metallic man next to me. "Are we there yet?"

Cyborg chuckles. "The Ship is in autopilot, so wake up and make a plan so I can land this thing." He says.

I yawn and stand up; I look to my side and realize that Babs is gone. "Where is everyone?" I ask.

Cyborg flicks his hand indicting for me to follow him. I oblige and notice that at the end of the aisle in the opposite direction of the cockpit is a door. Cyborg opens it and to my surprise I see my team sitting around a large table with the letter 'T' on it. "Wow, I didn't know you added a room to the Ship?" I look around and everyone greets me, Raven has a superior look on her face. She's happy that she put me out for so long.

Cyborg takes a seat and they all look at me. I sigh and sit at the head of the table. "I see that all of you have changed into your costumes?" They nod and I continue. "We are going into unchartered territory, so in order for us to fight properly we need to fight in groups or small tag teams. Our main goal of this mission is to guard the ship, find Starfire, and destroy the person named Karras." I look around at their anxious faces. "We don't know what exactly has happened to Starfire, and I don't want to assume the worst, but we need to be prepared for the worst. Cyborg what have you researched so far on Tameran?"

Cyborg opens a panel on his arm. "So far Karras has been leader since Ruler Galfore's great demise. He recently has changed some policies regarding Tameran and some treaties pertaining to a group named the Citadel. It also says that he married former Princess Koriand'r." He looks at me expectantly.

Jason slaps the table. "So we're going after a married woman?" He sneers, Babs smacks his arm.

I glare at him. "In the transmission she sent us she sounded like she was in some serious trouble, tell me Robin, what about that sounds normal? Married or not our job is to retrieve Starfire."

"Tameran marriages are for diplomacy correct, not love?" Beast Boy chimes in a reassuring tone, Raven must be rubbing off on him.

I nod and look around the table; I notice that Flash still has his injuries. "Flash are you going to be able to fight?"

He looks at me dubiously. "I'm the great Wally West, of course I can fight!"

Jinx glares at him. "Well, not without me."

He smiles at her and she crosses her arms. I resist the urge to smirk at their fondness for each other. "Jinx and Flash will be ship guardians, meaning that when we land you guys will guard the ship from the Tamaranians. If more guards spill out of their castle you take them on, full force."

Wally grins and Jinx creates a pink orb with her fist. Jason looks at me hesitantly. "Are you sure they'll be able to handle it?"

Batgirl whips out one of her sharp batarangs and aims it at his throat. "Say another thing during this meeting and you'll be sorry." She says between gritted teeth, I guess I'm not the only one who was beginning to get fed up with his comments. He gulps and gives her a look that can rival Raven's.

I clear my throat and continue. "The search for Starfire will be left in Beast Boy and Raven's hands. Since Raven can sense emotions she'll be able to find her much faster than me, since Beast Boy can defend they'll be able to make it back to the Ship in one piece." I look at them earnestly and I know Raven is feeling the ache of heartbreak coming out of me. "I trust you with this, please bring her back safe."

Raven and Beast Boy share a gaze with each other and nod at me. Babs crosses her arms suddenly. "What about the rest of us?" She asks haughtily.

I smirk at her, knowing well that she's ready for a fight. "We're going after Karras; we're going to find out what he did with Starfire and make him regret it." Babs smiles and checks her weapon belt. I look around at the rest of the Titans and they share the same intrepid look that I am wearing. "Cyborg bring us to Tameran, anyone have any questions?" I ask.

They shake their heads and Cyborg leaves, within moments I feel the autopilot shut off and the plunge to the Tamaranian planet shakes our seats. I don't need to be an Empath to taste the anticipation circulating around the room. It's making the air thick with obliviousness. I wouldn't say that I am afraid; I'm just concerned and panicked. The Ship begins to descend and my heart lurches. We all stand up and the Ship lands. "We all have a job to do, do it safely, and courageously."

Cyborg pops back into the room with an alarmed look on his face. "I landed as close as I could to the castle, we need to start invading now or we'll be overrun with guards within moments."

I look at everyone and I whip out my Eskrima Sticks. "Titans GO!"

* * *

A/N: So not much happened in this chapter besides Richard going crazy and thinking irrationally. I also threw some BBRae in there for any shippers out there. I know it's shorter than last weeks but I needed filler in there with enough emotion and POV to keep you guys coming back! I already have the next chapter written so I'll make you all a deal, if I get 10 reviews I'll post the next chapter within 24 hours. Thanks for reading!

Please Follow, Favorite, and REVIEW!

Next Chapter: A battle of intergalactic proportions, what will be found on Tameran? Who will pay the ultimate price in sacrifice? I'll see you there.


	9. Emotionally Propagated Part 2

To Miss Geek (Guest): 1) Yes I'm okay, thanks for asking! I hate the hospital and hopefully my dignity heals soon. :) 2) Yes you reviewed! *does stupid happy dance because of your review. 3) Thanks! I'm glad you liked it, Jason will be Jason lol. Enjoy this next chapter.

To guest awesome (Guest): I will desperately write more! This chapter is literally 5,000 words thick, engulf each sentence! Thanks for reviewing!

To Guest: I am! Enjoy this chapter, more chapters will be coming out soon. :)

To Guest: Assuming that we haven't heard from Starfire in a while, I expect you to assume the worst. But you know what they say, Hope for the best but expect the worst! Thanks for reviewing! :)

To Hahahaha (Guest): We'll have to wait and see if Star's pregnant or not...lol "may Karras be impotent" I was rolling on the floor laughing at your comment. :)

A/N: 12 reviews?! I'm gushing! Great reviews guys, thank you! Since I received so many AMAZING reviews I will post this next chapter along with a smile. Hopefully you all know where we left off, the Team is on Tameran, and it's time for battle! Enjoy the next chapter!

"Are you strong enough to defeat your inner demons? Are you strong enough to take what you are asked to do and mend it to fit your needs? Or are you weak? Is weakness determined by following the calls of your wants? Carry on Sissy…Carry on and burn in hell for eternity if you give into the temptation of social interactions of the damned." -Louddragon

* * *

**Flash POV**

We flood out of the Ship and Nightwing signals for me and Jinx to get into our defending position. Jinx nods and points towards the main entrance to the vast Tamaranian castle. Guards are swarming from the entrance, their battle cries are piercing the thin air, and their strides are rapid in size and pace. They're holding long staffs with sharp looking instruments at the end; the blue sparks coming from the end look menacing. I glance at Nightwing; he's getting into position with me and Jinx. "Go!" I shout at him. "Jinxy and I will be fine! We can hold off the swarm, go through the back entrance and find Karras!" I yell and he nods.

He signals for Cyborg, Batgirl and Robin to follow, Beast Boy and Raven are surrounded by black energy and they sink into the ground.

The swarm is getting closer and I bite my lip in anticipation, no fear though, just like my Mentor taught me. Fear equals injury. "Jinxy, you ready?" I yell over the roars of the soldiers.

She nods and lifts slightly off the ground, her pink magic surrounds her and she whispers something before looking at me with her big pink eyes. "Wally, be careful. They're stronger than us." She chargers towards the group to distance ourselves from the Ship a little, I look at her retreating form and my heart thuds in eagerness as the staffs also shoot blue electricity.

I run after her at my speed, the guards I'm approaching are red-haired and sweaty, they're menacing facial expressions are twisted grotesquely and they immediately attempt to subdue me as I approach. I'm out of his grasp in seconds, and he's sprawled on the ground. I grin; he had no chance against me. I Grab his staff and electrocute him as I turn around and stab another guy with it, more come at me and I race through the crowd, zapping and stabbing more of them. The crowd fluctuates between thickening and thinning. Blue sparks pop up from the place I stab them, and I realize that this is not just electrocution, it paralyzes you.

Realization dawns on me as I see pink flashes out of my peripheral vision. I start to head towards it but the tingling sensation behind me attempts to mollify me. I turn around and barely dodge the attack as the staff slices past my head. Other guards are now trying to stab at me and dodging them turns into a vigorous dance to stay alive. Before I can think of a plan to get myself out of this particular swarm, their faces become blank and their eyes turn pink, they quickly collapse on the ground. I look around for the source and Jinx gingerly steps over some of their unconscious forms. "Is that a new type of hex?" I ask as I catch my breath.

She smirks. "Yeah, look alive Wally. A new swarm is coming from the entrance." Her hands light up with pink hexes.

I sigh in aggravation. "How many guards does this place have?" I look at the guards swarming from the doors, this time they're bigger and their weapons look like golden large pistols with sharp blades on the end. The electricity spewing from them is green, and looks much deadlier. "Nevermind, don't answer that." I swallow and pick up a new staff from the pile of decrepit soldiers.

Jinx bites her lip, a habit she clearly picked up from me. "It seems like they have quadrants, the more soldiers we use up the stronger the forces they send out."

I brace myself as the groups of Tamaranians start to shout and yell in their distinctly annoying language. "If that's the case then Nightwing better hurry the hell up. Stay close to me Jinxy; we're going to need each other's help."

She rolls her eyes and lifts her body slightly into the air, she propels herself forward and I stick close to her. I immediately zap one of the big burly guards with my staff and they scream and thrash until they fall unconscious, Jinx is working on keeping the fluctuations of them under control by hexing them so they move slower. This helps me immensely; I grab one of the zapping guns and discharge dozens of guards at once. Jinx gasps as one of them breaks free of her hex control and attacks her. I run to her aid and stab the guard in his shoulder, I shoot and he goes flying, the gun is much stronger than I thought. A large hand lands on my back and I turn around to a punch in the face. I silently ask myself why punching me in the face is so common for behemoths. I taste blood and stand up quickly, I dodge the electricity bullets whizzing past me, and I'm once again surrounded. My back bumps into something and I see Jinx behind me.

We're both facing the crowd; we're surrounded and panting loudly. One of the soldiers yells something in Tamaranian at me it sounds like "Eyeball, eyeball, chocolate steering girdle." I wince.

"No idea what you're saying buddy, I'll be more than happy to zap some English out of you though." I say and aim my electricity gun at the man. As soon as I do this the swarm of them aims their weapons at us. The man speaks in Tamaranian again and I sigh in annoyance. "Listen mustache, we're just trying to defend our Ship. Can you give us a break?"

They sneer at me and Jinx elbows me harshly. "They can't understand you." She whispers.

"I know that, but it's still annoying." I stare at the man and sigh as I tighten my grip on the gun-like instrument. I'm about to pull the trigger but one of the guards beats me to it, my arms sizzles and I feel electronic impulses got through me, I'm on the ground within seconds convulsing and all I see are stars. I hear shouting and see pink sparkles. Huge feet begin to trample me and blood beings to color my vision. I'm stiff, I can't move and I'm being trampled. As my Mentor once said, fear equals injury. I guess I was not as courageous as I could've been. My ribs crack beneath me and the pink flashes suddenly stop. Jinx isn't fighting anymore. Before I black out I hear a pair of handcuffs and I'm electrocuted once again. The darkness makes the pain go away, and I'm once again floating in the unknown. That's funny I don't remember ordering fear, it wasn't on the menu.

* * *

**Raven POV**

We reappear in an empty hallway in the Castle; it's great to know that I estimated the power I used to transport us correctly; one mistake and we could've ended up in a different universe. I look at Beast Boy and he smirks at me, I signal for him to listen out for any footsteps or presences and we begin our trek to find Starfire.

Our footsteps are nearly silent, and we both stay in our battle stances. Our faces are twisted in concentration and I reach down the long hallways with my Empathy to search for any souls in our way. I try and detect Starfire's presence but I feel nothing, not an ounce of her soul left. I look at Beast Boy with concern. "I can't sense her, what's going on?" I say in a low undetectable tone.

He looks at me and his ear twitches as he listens for a sound. "There are soldiers coming to check this corridor, we need to go." He says briskly.

I ponder this and shake my head. "I'm sensing about five soldiers coming our way; we could ambush them and shake answers out of them." I suggest violently.

Beast Boy smirks. "I like the way you think, sadistic." His eyebrows waggle at me and I roll my eyes. He turns into a lion and roars loudly to attract the guards.

I can hear their footsteps before I see them, I take no chances and I immediately pummel two of them with my black powers. I slam one into the wall and his bones crunch underneath him, I've heard that familiar sound too many times to wince. I look over at Beast Boy and two of them have taken out their sharp looking spear instruments. The blue sparks at the end of them look menacing along with the illegally sized blade made out of solid gold. Beast Boy turns into an elephant and crushes the instruments; he then uses his trunk to smash the guards into each other. They fall into a heap onto the floor and he returns to his normal size.

One guard is eyeing both of us wearily, he's holding his staff tightly, and I can see the strain on his fingers. "Tell us where Starfire is and we won't hurt you." Beast Boy says calmly.

The man lunges towards me and I use my powers to block him off and smash his staff into pieces. He punches at the black wall separating us and Beast Boy's goat form throws him into a wall. The Tamaranian man crumples and pulls out a small golden knife. "Tell us where Starfire is." I ask impatiently.

His eyes regard me curiously and he stands up slowly. Beast Boy growls and I put out my hand to calm him. The man speaks, but it's in his native tongue. Beast Boy snorts. "That sounded like he said 'pickle butt gold humble.'"

I smack his arm. "Gar, shut up." I look at the man again. "Where is Starfire?" I say between clenched teeth.

The man suddenly lunges for me, but before I can smack him away his face crashes into mine. His lips press against mine, and I'm left completely astounded. I shove him away quickly and Beast Boy pummels him to the ground.

Beast Boy mutters some incomprehensible things and before I know it the Tamaranian spits on him and stabs him with the small golden knife. Beast Boy yells and I pull him off with my powers. I raise my fist and trap the guard in my powers, he struggles and the knife falls. "Why the hell did you kiss me?"

The guard raises his eyebrow. "I was merely communicating." He says in an English dialect.

"Communicate my ASS!" Beast boy yells as he nurses his injured stab wound on his shoulder. "I'm going to kick the shit out of you!" He hollers.

"Gar, shh! We don't want any more guards to know we're here." I hiss and turn back to the red haired native alien. "Why did you kiss me?"

"Kiss? Is that what you call it? It was merely lip to lip contact that transfers knowledge of your planet and your languages." He says formally.

"On our planet it means much more." I feel my face warm up and curse my girly mind.

The guard looks from me to Gar and smirks. "I see, I hope I didn't offend the green elf. I was not aware of your courtship."

Gar sputters and I roll my eyes. "We didn't come here to have a friendly chat, where the hell is Starfire?" I say angrily.

He gives me that same quizzical look and I begin to fear for the worst. "I do not know who this Starfire is, please explain." He asks politely.

Gar whirls out from the corner of my eye and punches the guard in the face. "Don't play stupid!" He grunts.

I yank him back and sigh. "Gar, stay calm." I give him a small smile.

The guard chortles. "Yes, do as milady says and do the staying of calm."

I use my powers to slap an invisible hand across his face; the guard spits blood and looks at me darkly. "There will be more of us here any moment, what do you seek and why?"

I grunt in frustration. "Where is Karras' wife?" I nearly yell and the wallpaper begins to peel as a result of my power influx.

"You must mean Princess Koriand'r? I presume she is dead now, there has been some talk of her being unable to conceive." He smirks devilishly at me.

My stomach clenches and my heart lurches in disgust. "Where is she?" I yell and the walls begin to shake.

"Unbeknownst to you, Koriand'r married Karras to produce offspring; she has not shown any recent signs of pregnancy so he must move on to find another mate." He looks around nonchalantly. "I assume she is in the dungeon chambers, just a carcass now."

I grit my teeth and I feel my vision blur, anger boils within me and I can't stop my powers from lashing out at him. A hand suddenly lands on my shoulders and Gar looks at me with appreciation and that gives me the strength to calm down. As quick as lightning he punches the guy out cold, I unclench my powers as the guard slumps on the floor. "Thanks." I whisper to him before plunging our bodies into the darkness of my powers. We travel silently in the void of the unknown and we end up in a long stone hallway.

Beast Boy exhales and looks around. "Is this the lowest part of the castle?"

I nod and reach out with my powers. "There's nothing of her here." The stone cold hallways are dripping some type of fluid onto the floor; our feet make squishy sounds as we scale the hallways.

Beads of sweat drip down my forehead and I sense Gar's anxiety. As we round the corner of the metallic and rocky hallway I start to notice the doors implanted on the walls. I peer inside of each one and Gar follows suit with the opposite side of the hallway. It narrows out and curves into another slew of doors stuck in the walls. The cells are dark and dreary, I can only see slumped unmoving shapes behind them, and the stench of the halls is nearly unbearable. It's like eggs and moldy dough. The anticipation hanging between me and Gar is intolerable. "Starfire!" I shout in a hushed tone. "Starfire! Make a noise, tell us where you are!" I whisper frantically.

I hear Gar gasp. "Rae, you need to see this." He says in a deep and loud tone.

I rush over to where he's looking into the door and I peer in. Everything inside of me suddenly drops, my organs feel like they've been engulfed by each other and my heart erratically beats. Starfire is tied up by her wrists, they're slit and bloody. Her feet are dangling off the floor, dripping blood and ichor. Her face is gagged and her hair matted, the markings on her body suggest that she was beaten to a pulp three times over. Bruises cover her naked body; missing chunks of skin throw my temper over the edge.

I use my powers to rip the metal door off of its bolted hinges. Beast Boy rushes in after me and he uses his claws to slash the metal chains. I catch her as she falls.

"Is she breathing?" Beast Boy asks loudly.

I look down at Starfire's face and panic courses through me. I'm suddenly paralyzed by the thought. The only other Titan that looked at me as more than a creepy teammate but as a friend, a sister, might be dead. I suddenly can't move and tears slip down my cheeks, it's been a while since I had a good cry. Seeing her like this kills me especially when barely two weeks before she was normal and healthy, it's not right, it's not fair.

Beast Boy shakes me. "Raven! Raven, answer me!" He shoves his fingers to Starfire's neck and presses down harshly. His face pales and his chin quivers. "RAVEN! I DON'T KNOW IF THIS IS HER PULSE OR NOT!" He roars. He grabs my face and I stare into his green eyes. "DO NOT FREEZE UP, You are a TITAN, this is your JOB, lose your mind LATER!" He screams.

I sense some guards coming down the hallway and I snap out of my moment of shock. "Go guard the door; I'll check if she's…" I am unable to finish that thought but Beast boy nods anyways and morphs into a giant gorilla. He runs into the hallway and the fighting ensues.

I look back down at Starfire's lifeless body and wince. She's nearly unrecognizable. I press my fingers to her neck and pray for a pulse. I wait moments that seem like an eternity and it flickers dully beneath my fingers, she's on the verge of dying. More tears flood my vision and I quickly wipe them away. I summon up some of my courage and wrap my cloak around her naked beaten body. I take off the gag on her mouth and I notice that her face is literally one big bruise. I can only imagine Richard's reaction once he sees her. I lift her up and run into the hallway. Gar throws one guard against the wall and returns to his normal form.

"We need to get her to the Ship so I can heal her; she's going to die within the next couple hours if we keep waiting." I say with urge.

Beast Boy nods. "I can hear more guards coming, do you have enough strength to teleport us back to the Ship?"

I lie purposely and nod. I lift my head and my black power swirls around us. We soar upwards and before I know it we're standing outside the Ship. Unconscious guards are scattered all over the place, their lightning staffs gleaming in the sun. I notice Starfire's skin starts to glow, and her once pale complexion begins to return to normal. "This is a good sign, but where's Jinx and Flash?" I ask as I look around.

We hurry into the Ship and realization hits me. "We're alone." I whisper eerily and lay Starfire gently down on a reclined seat towards the back of the Ship.

Beast Boy shuffles his feet nervously and looks out one of the circular windows while biting his lip. "I need to go find the others." He says without looking at me.

My heart pounds irregularly and the seams on the carpet begin to peel. My powers are weakened so my emotion influxes won't draw attention. "No." I say forcefully.

He looks at me with his piercing green eyes and I swallow the lump in my throat. "This is not up for discussion, we need to get some real medical supplies for Starfire, and you barely have enough energy to heal her." He scolds lightly.

"I can't let you go alone!" I say loudly enough to make his eye twitch.

He suddenly pulls me into his arms and he squeezes me with such a velocity I feel as if I might pop. I hug him back tightly and rest my head on his chest. He breathes into my hair and sends shivers down my spine. "Flash and Jinx were obviously captured we can't risk waiting for the others to find them. Conserve your powers and when you feel some of it come back heal Star, we all have a job to do." He let's go of me and holds my face in his calloused hands.

I nod at him softly. "Please be careful." I whisper. Acutely he leans down and kisses my forehead, I close my eyes and savor this moment, I pretend that this mission isn't life and death and we're back in the tower about to snuggle into bed together. I feel him retract and he jogs out of the Ship before I open my eyes. When I do I watch the door close and I hear the bark of a bloodhound before he runs forcefully back to the castle. I look at Starfire's nearly lifeless body and take a deep breath. Healing her will be very difficult, but if I can find enough strength within myself I can do this. I don't want the others to see her like this so I'll have to put up a blue tarp or blanket. I can do this, I have strength.

Strength is all I need.

* * *

**Nightwing POV**

We take out another hoard of large guards, Cyborg grunts happily as he collects more of their gun spears and we continue our way towards the heart of the palace. Cyborg scanned the place pretty well and he discovered that the Ruler's throne is located in the middle of the castle, which is one hallway walk away from us. The only problem now is a new quadrant of guards blocking our way. I look over at Babs and Robin; they look at me and nod. "I need to get in there, give me clearance for a couple moments and this will be over before we know it."

Cyborg grunts again and powers up his cannons along with the gun spears, he shoots into the crowd of guards and they fall one by one, Babs and Robin proceed in throwing batarangs and miniature versions of my bat bombs into the crowd to disperse a pathway for me. I run through and front flip over a couple guards trying to subdue me, I avoid them expertly and sprint through as fast as I can.

As I approach the door I whip out a grenade and throw it at the almost wooden frame, it explodes and shakes the foundation I'm standing on, the doors swing open and peel off of their hinges, the thumping sounds they make echo in the hallway and I can feel the guards breathing down my neck. The smoke clears and I see a burly man sitting in a throne sized chair, his chest is out and scratch marks are raked across his gleaming skin. He smirks devilishly at me and I realize who this is. "KARRAS!" I yell and charge towards him with my Eskrima Sticks out.

He stands and stretches like he's woken up from a nap. "Who are you and what do you want?" He regards me in a familiar dialect, surprisingly English.

"I want Starfire; we're here to take her back to Earth." I say strongly as I pause a few feet before him, he's very tall and his dark red hair is combed back to address the crown on his head. It gleams sharply and mimics the sharp way his eyes are colored.

Karras crosses his arms and narrows his eyes at me. "There is no Starfire, but only Koriand'r. She cannot return to Earth with you." He says in an allocated manner.

"Why the hell not?" I ask with anger in my voice.

"You wouldn't want to take a corpse to Earth would you now?" He asks in a besmirching method.

The air in my lungs suddenly escapes me and my body feels like it is on fire. My vision blurs considerably and the room spins. "Corpse?" I whisper weakly.

"Yes, a corpse. Now please tell your forces to leave my planet immediately, we have lost quite the amount of guards because of them." He turns around and walks back to his throne. "Be gone petulance." He waves his hand dismissively.

Something in me snaps and I whip out my bat bombs, about ten of them. I aim them at his head and my brain starts to move in slow motion. The bombs bounce off of his head and the room literally explodes. I'm thrown backwards, and I realize that I've made a mistake, I used too many bombs. Rubble from the ceiling begins to crumble and fall, a piece hurtles towards me and I prepare myself to try to take the brunt of it. A blue blast coming from behind me shines and the piece of rubble explodes into bits and pieces that bounce off my face and cut my cheeks.

Metallic hands haul me to my feet and I use my Eskrima Sticks to bat away large baseball sized chunks of stone. "We need to get out of here! This part of the castle is unstable, how many bombs did you use?" He asks as we scram out of the room together.

"Where are the others?" I ask as I carefully dodge his question.

"They're heading to the Ship; there are still some guards hot on our tail so we need to leave NOW!" He yells as a piece of ceiling collapses onto his metallic body.

I yank him up from his stumped position and we continue to run out of the building at blinding speeds. Cracks ripple across the ceiling and I mentally curse myself for causing this. As we barge out of the castle guards shoot their plasma guns at us and Cyborg counter attacks with his canons. Part of the gun shot sizzles across the chest of my Nightwing costume and burns right through the bullet proof protection. I gasp as it burns harshly on my human flesh; I feel the warmth of the blood before I see it.

I spot the jet and drag Cyborg and I towards it. To my relief Raven rushes us in with an alarmed look on her face. If Raven is back then that must mean that she recovered Starfire. I look around the Ship and I notice that a large curtain is separating half of the Ship, she must be in there. As I make my way towards it Raven grabs my shoulder and shakes her head solemnly.

Cyborg looks out one of the windows. "Where is everyone else?" He barks with alarm.

"Robin and Batgirl are behind the curtain. Beast Boy went to go find Jinx and Flash, they were captured." She bites her lip nervously and her eyes widen. "They're surrounded by guards in front of the castle right now, I can sense them."

I look at the blue curtain and back to her. "I can go retrieve them but the guards are about to swarm the Ship. Cyborg get it started."

"No!" Raven says as she opens a black portal. "I'll go bring them back via portal; they're hurt and won't be able to run the rest of the way here." She steps into the portal and it remains open.

"Yo Nighty help me turn on the turbos!" Cyborg yells as he rushes into the cockpit.

I glance one more time at the blue curtain and I feel the worst fear I've ever felt in my life. I follow Cyborg and I swallow every ounce of emotion I'm feeling. I'm emotionally propagated and it makes me regret every negative thing I've ever done to Starfire.

* * *

**Raven POV**

I step out of the open portal and look at the scene unraveling in front of me. Flash is lying on the ground in a bloody heap while Jinx and Beast Boy fight off the guards trying to surround him. I form a black shield with my now shaky weakening powers and block off the guards from the Titans. They look at me with wide eyes and bloody faces and I nod towards the portal. A very weak and horribly injured Jinx lifts Flash gingerly and sprints through the portal. I look at Beast Boy and he stumbles towards me, my vision blurs and my shield weakens as the Tamaranians attempt to rush their way in. One does forge his way in and a sharp stab emits from my chakra. Beast Boy turns into a bear and bats the man away like he's a fly.

He falls to his knees and I attempt to drag him through the portal with me, more guards begin to rush through my shield and they aim their weapons at me. One guard runs at me with his sharpened spear heading straight from my chest, in a flash Beast Boy stand up and takes the brunt of the hit, full force. Blood sprouts from the wound and he arches his back, his throat emits a gurgling sound and his eyes blankly stare at me.

I don't hear myself scream, I don't hear myself cry his name, and I don't notice the hands that pull Beast Boy and I through the portal. I don't even notice the Ship rumbling to life, all I keep seeing is the spear plunging its way through Beast Boy's chest.

My body goes numb and the darkness envelopes my conscience.

* * *

A/N: Whew, that took some brain power to configure. Did you like it? Do you want to read more? I hope you all are saying yes! Thanks for reading, and PLEASE REVIEW!

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Next Chapter: A funeral for someone who will be deeply missed. Richards's reaction to Starfire's condition, changes are made, and an enemy lurks in the corners of Gotham waiting to strike; can the Titans heal in time to save a City and each other? Will they be able to? See you there! XOXO


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